Thame

J. R. R. Tolkien's Town Of Thame

Enthusiasts of J R R Tolkien will have heard of the town of Thame in Oxfordshire in a number of his stories. The town did not appear in Lord Of The Rings or The Hobbit, largely because it would have looked out of place in the bleak and desperate landscape of Middle Earth. In fact the landscape is quite the opposite. It is lush and green, but that did not stop it appearing in one of Tolkien’s tales! Whether you are a literature fan or not, or indeed whether you have previously heard of Thame or not, the warm and welcoming town is well worth a visit.

In “Farmer Giles Of Ham”, Tolkien came up with the idea that the town had been named after a tame dragon that once resided there. This is most likely an imaginative tale, but there is an enchantment about the area that makes the thousands of visitors that attend each year believe that it could be true! The River Thame winds through the beautifully neat and luscious landscape of rolling fields and quaint old houses and is worth a look itself because the view will take your breath away!

The town itself is home to 12,000 people today, but Thame was founded as an agrarian town and still retains those values to a certain extent today. The oldest church there, the church of St Mary the Virgin, has been in place since 1240 and is beautiful to behold. It is only a small church but it is a reflection of the town’s history, as are the Civil War references that you will find there. The town was a key pawn in the battle between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians in the 17th Century.

If you are more active though and prefer to savour physical activities instead of historical walks and trips then Thame is also the place for you. The Phoenix Trail is a local cycle track that is very popular with visitors and locals alike. It is part of the National Cycle network, so you can rise to and from Oxford until your heart’s content.

As such, Thame is an excellent choice of town for visiting during a trip to Oxfordshire. It has everything you could want with none of the hustle and bustle!