43-714: The Squire Car Manufacturing Company was a British auto manufacturer of the 1930s, based in Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire. It was founded as Squire Motors Ltd by 21-year-old Adrian Squire (1910–1940), formerly of Bentley and MG . Renamed as the Squire Car Manufacturing Company it produced the Squire car, which epitomised the Grand Prix car turned into road car. After Frazer-Nash temporarily cast aside British Anzani , Squire seized
86-437: A Mayor. The Local Government Act 1972 resulted in the re-organisation of local government in that year. Henley became part of Wallingford District Council, subsequently renamed South Oxfordshire District Council. The borough council was replaced by a town council but the role of mayor was retained. Henley Bridge is a five arched bridge across the river built in 1786. It is a Grade I listed historic structure. During 2011
129-627: A Tamys" in 1485. By the beginning of the 16th century, the town extended along the west bank of the Thames from Friday Street in the south to the Manor , now Phyllis Court , in the north and took in Hart Street and New Street. To the west, it included Bell Street and the Market Place. Henry VIII granted the use of the titles "mayor" and " burgess ", and the town was incorporated in 1568 in
172-589: A dozen shops, including a supermarket and a dispensing chemist. A garage on the main Oxford road outside the village has an on-site McDonald's with drive-through and a Marks and Spencer food outlet, but the Vauxhall main car dealership there has closed. The village play area reopened in 2021, dedicated to a local teenager, Faye Elizabeth Grundy. Aircraft noise in the area can be marked, which lowers property values compared with many surrounding villages. In 1993
215-561: A fall in population from 1253 in 1841 to 1157 by 1861. Failure to extend the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway to Watlington , via a station at Benson on an embankment north of Littleworth Road and close to the junction with Oxford Road, left the village increasingly isolated, as passenger transport between London and Oxford largely followed a railway line that ran nowhere near the once-prominent coaching stop. The village recovered as motor coaches and private cars became more important, leading to
258-508: A few others can also be received. Regatta Radio was broadcast during Henley Royal Regatta for a number of years up to 2014. As Henley is on an overlap of TV regions, it is possible to receive signals from the Crystal Palace ( BBC London / ITV London ) and Hannington ( BBC South / ITV Meridian ) transmitters. However, the local relay transmitter for Henley only broadcasts programmes from ITV London and BBC London , making Henley
301-579: A naturally straight stretch of the river just north of the town. It was extended artificially. The event became "Royal" in 1851, when Prince Albert became patron of the regatta. Other regattas and rowing races are held on the same reach, including Henley Women's Regatta , Henley Town and Visitors Regatta, Henley Veteran Regatta, Upper Thames Small Boats Head, Henley Fours and Eights Head, and Henley Sculls. These "Heads" often attract strong crews that have won medals at National Championships. Local rowing clubs include: The regatta depicted throughout Dead in
344-802: A new club in Henley was started in September 2016 called Henley Lions FC. Henley has one local newspaper, the Henley Standard which is also available online. In addition to the Henley Standard website, there is another source of news online: the Henley Herald Local radio stations are BBC Radio Berkshire on 94.6 FM, Heart South on 103.4 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Berkshire and North Hampshire on 107.0 FM and London 's radio stations such as Capital and Magic along with
387-468: A number of roadhouse-type cafes – the early 20th-century equivalents of coaching inns. Benson today is a commuter village, despite its lack of a railway station and distance from the motorways M4 and M40 . It has a Church of England primary school in Oxford Road. A separate infant school was built at the top of Westfield Road in 1972 "to relieve congestion at the Oxford Road school", but early in
430-626: A possible later Bronze Age roundhouse and three early or mid- Saxon (5th – 6th centuries CE) sunken-floored buildings. In 779 the estate was, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . taken from Wessex by Offa of Mercia following the Battle of Bensington . It was certainly a royal manor by the 880s. At the time of the 1086 Domesday Book , Benson was "the richest royal manor in Oxfordshire". The manor boundaries ran from
473-521: A road-going prototype with rudimentary bodywork. Zethrin did not have the technical expertise of Adrian Squire, and failed to ensure sufficient industry interest in what seemed a flight of fancy, in an era of austerity. Lack of funds and backers falling away put paid to the Rennsport becoming available for purchase. The December 1960 Sports Cars Illustrated magazine features the Squire X101 on
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#1732801337489516-762: Is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire , England. The 2011 Census gave the parish population as 4,754. It lies about a mile and a half (2.4 km) north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills , where a chalk stream, Ewelme Brook, joins the River Thames next to Benson Lock . Benson, on the north and east banks of the Thames, was unaffected by the 1974 boundary changes between Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It rests on river silts and gravel, just above surrounding marshy land named in
559-607: Is believed, was granted by a charter of King John . A market was certainly in existence by 1269; however, the jurors of the assize of 1284 said that they did not know by what warrant the Earl of Cornwall held a market and fair in the town of Henley. The existing Corpus Christi fair was granted by a charter of Henry VI . During the Black Death pandemic that swept through England in the 14th century, Henley lost 60% of its population. A variation on its name can be seen as "Henley up
602-530: Is often confused with RAF Benson , which is a well-known RAF station and airfield. The airfield boundary is adjacent to the village, and the aerodrome's construction closed the former "London Road". The RAF buildings are on the opposite side of the airfield to Benson village, adjacent to the village of Ewelme . The church tower was rebuilt in 1794. It has a single clock-face on the east-facing side, with hours displayed in Roman numerals. The clock face erroneously has
645-601: The M40 motorway (junction 4) are both about (7 miles or 11 km) away. Bus route 850, operated by Carousel Buses on an 20 minute frequency, runs through Henley between Reading and High Wycombe . Organic baby food manufacturer Ella's Kitchen is headquartered in Henley-on-Thames. Henley is a world-renowned centre for rowing . Each summer the Henley Royal Regatta is held on Henley Reach,
688-507: The Mesolithic period – about 10,000 BCE. The village occupies the site of an ancient British town known also to have been occupied in the Roman period, although Benson's written history dates back only to 571 CE Recent excavation for a housing site at the junction of St Helen's Avenue and Church Road revealed evidence of early Neolithic (3500 BCE) and later Bronze Age or early Iron Age (11th – 8th centuries BCE) pits and post holes, with
731-484: The tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire . The population at the 2021 Census was 12,186. There is archaeological evidence of people residing in Henley since the second century as part of the Romano-British period. The first record of Henley as a substantial settlement is from 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted
774-530: The 17th and 18th centuries was due to manufactures of glass and malt, and trade in corn and wool. Henley-on-Thames supplied London with timber and grain. A workhouse to accommodate 150 people was built at West Hill in Henley in 1790, and was later enlarged to accommodate 250 as the Henley Poor Law Union workhouse. Prior to 1974 Henley was a municipal borough with a Borough Council comprising twelve Councillors and four Aldermen , headed by
817-524: The UK. This climatic quirk may have led to the village playing a part in the development of modern meteorology, with a meteorological observatory being located there in the early 19th century. The place-name Benson is first attested in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , which took its present form in the latter half of the ninth century, in the forms Bænesingtun and Benesingtun . Instances where
860-567: The Water , an episode of the British detective television series Midsomer Murders , was filmed at Henley. The River and Rowing Museum , located in Mill Meadows , is the town's one museum. It was established in 1998, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II . The museum, designed by the architect David Chipperfield , features information on the River Thames , the sport of rowing , and
903-470: The area of Benson manor, but Domesday values it alone at £30, compared with £5 for the neighbouring parish of Berrick. The Church of England parish church of St Helen is partly ancient. John Marius Wilson described it: "variously late pointed Norman and decorated; has a modern tower; contains a Norman font and two [monumental] brasses; and is very good." The church parish includes the hamlets of Fifield and Crowmarsh-Battle or Preston-Crowmarsh. The village
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#1732801337489946-515: The borders of Stadhampton in the north to include Henley in the south-east and were probably set long before the Conquest. Domesday rates that manor at £85 a year, although it comprised only 11.75 hides , while the Bishop of Lincoln 's 90 hides at Dorchester were valued at only £30. Benson itself was clearly the most valuable part of the manor. The map shows Benson parish as only about a tenth of
989-483: The bridge underwent a £200,000 repair programme after being hit by the boat Crazy Love in August 2010. About 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) upstream of the bridge is Marsh Lock . Henley Town Hall , which maintains a prominent position in the Market Place, was designed by Henry Hare and completed in 1900. Chantry House is the second Grade I listed building in the town. It is unusual in having more storeys on one side than on
1032-499: The cover and an article. Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( / ˌ h ɛ n l i -/ HEN -lee ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames , in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire , England, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Reading , 7 miles (11 km) west of Maidenhead , 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Oxford and 37 miles (60 km) west of London (by road), near
1075-512: The manor of Benson and the town and manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church at Henley is first mentioned in 1204. In 1205 the town received a tax for street paving, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Benson with a chapel . The street plan was probably established by the end of the 13th century. As a demesne of the crown it was granted in 1337 to John de Molyns, whose family held it for about 250 years. The existing Thursday market, it
1118-438: The name is mentioned include the Battle of Bedcanford , which supposedly took place in 571 and led to Britons ceding Benson to someone called Cuthwulf, but the historicity of this event is uncertain. The name is thought to derive from a personal name Benesa , combined with the suffix - ing (here indicating Benesa's possession of the place), and the word tūn (meaning 'estate'). Thus it once meant "farmstead of Benesa". In
1161-525: The name of the warden, portreeves , burgesses and commonalty. The original charter was issued by Elizabeth I but replaced by one from George I in 1722. Henley suffered at the hands of both parties in the Civil War . Later, William III rested here on his march to London in 1688, at the nearby recently rebuilt Fawley Court , and received a deputation from the Lords . The town's period of prosperity in
1204-401: The nearby settlements of Preston Crowmarsh , Crowmarsh Gifford , and Rokemarsh . The fertile land surrounding Benson meant that farming was the main source of employment until the 20th century. The brook through the village is home to trout and to the invasive American signal crayfish . The village lies in a well-known frost-pocket, sometimes recording the lowest night-time temperatures in
1247-556: The new millennium, the infant department returned to Oxford Road, allowing the Westfield Road site to be sold for a housing development known as Millar Close. There is also a pre-school. The village has a doctor's surgery and two public houses : an 18th-century coaching inn, The Crown Inn , and the Three Horseshoes . The pub number is down from five in 1990, those closed having become private homes. There are about
1290-648: The new steel frame. Benson is one of several key South Oxfordshire sites of the English Civil War , lying between the site of the Battle of Chalgrove Field (18 June 1643) and Wallingford Castle. It was reputedly the last Royalist stronghold to surrender, being close to the Royalist cities of Oxford and Newbury . A building at Benson is still known as the Court House from the time King Charles I held court there on his way to Oxford. A flash lock
1333-473: The nine o'clock marker marked as "XI", as is the eleven o'clock marker correctly. This mistake gained fame in the Second World War when Germany's English-speaking propaganda broadcaster, William Joyce ( Lord Haw Haw ) promised an air raid on "an airfield near the village whose clock had two elevens". RAF Benson was bombed soon afterwards. The bell tower has a ring of eight bells. Six, including
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1376-602: The northwest of the town. Two notable buildings just outside Henley, in Buckinghamshire , are: The town's railway station is the terminus of the Henley Branch Line from Twyford . In the past there have been direct services to London Paddington . There are express mainline rail services from Reading (6 miles or 9.7 km) to Paddington. Trains from High Wycombe (12 miles or 19 km) go to London Marylebone . The M4 motorway (junction 8/9) and
1419-590: The only part of Oxfordshire included within the London television region. Henley-on-Thames was represented in the 2010 American drama film The Social Network as the site of a rowing competition between the US and the Netherlands. Henley is twinned with: And has a 'friendship link' with: In addition, several localities around the world are named after Henley, including: Benson, Oxfordshire Benson
1462-430: The opportunity to use Anzani's R1 100 bhp (75 kW) 1,496 cc twin-cam engine. They were purchased from Anzani with a Squire emblem cast into them. Blown versions were available. Very few were made, but it held a reputation for exceptional top speed and braking. Squire designed and built a fine rigid chassis offered in two lengths for two or four seat versions with attractive bodywork by Vanden Plas . The car
1505-464: The other. The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin is nearby and has a 16th-century tower. The Old Bell is a pub in the centre of Henley on Bell Street. The building has been dated from 1325: the oldest-dated building in the town. To celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee , 60 oak trees were planted in the shape of a Victoria Cross near Fairmile, the long straight road to
1548-531: The period 1140–1315 the name appears as Besinton (and similar forms), and Benston in 1526. The present form of the name, Benson , appears early in the nineteenth century, but Bensington continued in use, at least in formal documents, into the second half of the century. The 1866 Working Agreement made by the Great Western Railway for its Wallingford–Watlington line used the older form. Evidence of human presence has been found dating back to
1591-422: The tenor and treble, were cast in 1781 by Thomas Janaway of Chelsea . The current second and third bells were added by Whitechapel Bell Foundry : the second was cast by Charles and George Mears in 1852 and the third by Mears and Stainbank in 1922. In October 2009 White's of Appleton replaced the original oak bell frame of 1794 with a modern steel frame. White's refurbished the bells and fitted new headstocks for
1634-544: The town of Henley itself. Henley has the oldest football team Henley Town F.C. recognised by the Oxfordshire Football Association , they play at The Triangle ground. Henley also has a rugby union club Henley Hawks which play at the Dry Leas ground, a hockey club Henley Hockey Club which play at Jubilee Park, and Henley Cricket Club which has played at Brakspear Ground since 1886.
1677-580: The war but the lack of patterns to make the engine made this uneconomical. After the war Val Zethrin pursued a new project, an updated and simplified attempt at the Squire concept, called the Zethrin Rennsport. The reliability and cost of the R1 Anzani engine had always been an issue, and post-war conditions rendered it unthinkable. Through Benjamin Bowden and John Allen's design company, contact
1720-419: Was installed on the Thames at Benson in 1746. Benson weir collapsed in 1783, necessitating the construction of Benson pound lock in 1788. The lock was rebuilt in 1870. The road between Henley-on-Thames and Dorchester on Thames became a turnpike in 1736 and in the 18th and early 19th centuries Benson was an important staging post for coaches between London and Oxford via Henley. Its broad open square
1763-595: Was made with Donald Healey , who recommended using a souped up Riley Motor engine, as he had employed in the Healey-Abbott· Suspension and modified frame from the Riley stable provided the back-bone for what was to be an interesting but doomed venture. 180 bhp from the heavily modified engine was forecast, coupled to a fairly advanced body, suggesting that a 135 mph maximum speed was achievable. It seems that this project went little further than
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1806-482: Was surrounded by coaching inns . At its peak the village had four large inns, ten smaller alehouses and a blacksmith. The 1844 opening of the Oxford branch of the GWR rapidly reduced coach traffic: within ten years only three Oxford-London coaches a week were still running through. The Henley–Dorchester road ceased to be a turnpike in 1873. The decline in coaching, the enclosures and the agricultural depression explain
1849-688: Was too expensive even with cheaper bodywork from Markham of Reading , and financial difficulties ended production in 1936. A Vanden Plas two seater cost £1,220 which was Bugatti money and even the Markham cost £995. Squire himself went on to join Lagonda and was working for the Bristol Aeroplane Company when killed in an air raid in 1940. Two or possibly three more cars were assembled from left over parts by Valfried Zethrin in 1938 and 1939. There were plans to resume production after
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