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The town of Henley-Upon-Thames, Oxfordshire, lies upon the western bank of a sweeping bend in the River Thames, and was a stopping off point for barges carrying supplies to and from London.
The Pigot & Co. Directory of Oxfordshire from 1847 describes the parish and town thus :
"Henley-Upon-Thames [is] a market town, 35 miles from London, and 23 miles south-east from the city of Oxford.
It is situated on the high road from London to Oxford, on a slight ascent from the banks of the Thames, which at this spot divides the counties of Oxford and Berks. [The Berkshire parish of Remenham lies on the other side of the river].
The town consists principally of two wide streets. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, stands close to the Thames, at the eastern end of Hart-street [near the bridge, which was built in 1786]. It is a large and elegant edifice, in the decorated style of English architecture, and has a lofty embattled tower with turrets at angles. In the vestry is an excellent library of valuable books, bequeathed to the town by .Dr. Henry Aldrich, Dean of Christchurch (Oxford); he was rector of Henley and died in 1737."
Interior of St. Mary's Church, Henley-on-Thames.
"The prospects from Henley are in the highest degree picturesque and beautiful, the country around being pleasingly diversified by lofty wooded hills and low grounds, declining to the Thames. Henley Hill appears on the east, through the chalky face of it the road is cut. On a height is a circle of stones, denominated a Druids temple, brought from the Island of Jersey..."
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