The Swans

Jeff and I spent a lovely early spring Saturday visiting two Swans in Pangbourne and Streatley. We were accompanied (and driven by!) our precious friends Holly & David. Holly and I had done our homework from the travel tome Historic Inns along the River Thames by Richard Long and picked out a luncheon destination north of Reading. During World Wars I and II the river at Pangbourne (Pangbourne means 'Paega's People's Stream’) was used to train American, Canadian, Australian as well as British Royal Engineers in the skill of building bailey and pontoon bridges. Prior to D-Day many bridges were built across the Thames and then dismantled. Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind in the Willows, retired to Church Cottage in Pangbourne. He died there in 1932. I mention this because our daughter Beth played Badger in an excellent ASL middle school production of the play!

The Pangbourne pub Swan is an old establishment dating from 1642 and was at a time a grain store and riverside barge stop. The building once lay in two counties (Berkshire and Oxfordshire) and because of two different licensing laws, regulars would change bars for an extra half hour of drinking! We had a very nice lunch though Holly and I disagreed about the worthiness of the Bloody Marys!

We drove on to Streatley and visited another Swan for coffee. Apparently, Keira Knightley and Donald Sutherland chose this 18th century Swan at Streatley as their home away from home during filming of the recent version of Pride and Prejudice. We had overpriced coffee overlooking the river and then went out for a walk. There was a restored 1890 barge docked outside that I thought very picturesque.

The Thames Path follows the river over 180 miles from the Cotswold’s, eventually to Greenwich. We crossed over two small bridges to the village of Goring on Thames. Did I mention that Holly had been here before walking? Anyway we crossed the Goring and Streatley Bridge where I apparently forgot to take a picture of the lock! We had a quick look around the village (nice clock on the village hall!) and walked through the cemetery of St. Thomas of Canterbury to the river path. Here we came upon the third swan of the day – (pictured to the right!) that offered no refreshments at all, so we walked a short way along the very swollen river, returned to the car and back to London!