Remembered for a sandy river crossing. That’s possibly where Sandford-on-Thames gets its name. Welcome to Sandford-on-Thames. It is a village with a long history. The River Thames has always been vital to Sandford-on-Thames.
In 1086, the Domesday Book listed only 18 families here. Today, over 1,000 people call Sandford-on-Thames home. The parish boundaries have changed a lot over the years.
Let’s talk about St. Andrew’s parish church. It was built in the 12th century for nearby nuns. Elizabeth Isham helped restore the Norman porch in 1652. Further improvements occurred between 1840 and 1865. A yew tree planted in 1800 stands in the graveyard. Bread was once handed out to the poor from a gravestone east of the porch. The church also has war memorials honoring local fallen soldiers.
The Knights Templar once had land here. Sir Thomas de Sandford gave them land in 1239. The Knights Hospitaller took over in 1324 after the Templars were suppressed. Henry VIII dissolved the order in 1541. Cardinal Sir Thomas Wolsey then gained the land.
The Thames was essential for agriculture and transport in Sandford-on-Thames. Roman pottery shows Sandford had manufacturing long ago. There are many mentions of Sandford Ferry in old writings. The Earl of Essex even crossed the river here with troops in 1644 during the English Civil War. A ferry, later a toll bridge, once ran near the King’s Arms pub. It took people to Abingdon. An old mounting block remains by the river below the lock.
Jerome K. Jerome described the pool near Sandford lasher as dangerous. He wrote about it in *Three Men in a Boat*. Despite the danger, people swam here until the mid-20th century. In 1921, three Christ Church students drowned here. One was Michael Llewelyn Davies, who inspired Peter Pan. An obelisk remembers six Christ Church students who drowned between 1843 and 1921. The King’s Arms had tea-lawns for relaxing Sundays.
Sandford Lock has a long history. The first lock was a flash lock at the lasher site. It was called “Great Lockes” in 1624. A pound lock replaced it around 1632. This was one of the first in England. The Oxford-Burcot Commission built Iffley, Sandford, and Culham locks. A new lock opened in 1836. The current lock was built in 1972. Littlemore Brook joins the Thames near Sandford-on-Thames.
Temple Farm’s name recalls the Knights Templar. Magdalen College, Oxford, acquired it in 1900. Dick Morris and his wife Freda leased it in the 1950s. They created the Temple Farm Country Club. The property included a main house, bedrooms, a barn with a bar, and a function room. There was also a caravan park, a cricket pitch, and a marina. The barn bar was said to be the resting place of George Napier.
Sandford Mill stands next to the lock. It was built in the 1980s. It is on the site of an old mill that closed in 1982. The Abbey of Abingdon owned it in 1100. It became a paper mill in 1826. The cottages upstream were also built in 1826. Mill workers lived there. They had flat roofs made of tarred paper.
The Henley Road crosses the Northfield Brook. Sandford Gate, a toll house, stood here until 1920. One of the first petrol stations was on Henley Road. It served William Morris, later Lord Nuffield. The garage repaired Spitfire wings during World War II.
In 1943, Sandford hosted the second wartime Boat Race. Oxford won against Cambridge.
Sandford-on-Thames offers much to explore. Its history is entwined with the river. From ancient settlements to wartime races, Sandford has many stories to tell. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and history.