Lambourn Tourist Information

Lambourn is on beautiful chalk downland near the source of the River Lambourn, a summer bourn.  The town, a large village, is near the borders of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

This is ancient settlement dates back to the time of King Alfred the Great, who mentioned the settlement in his will.  Lambourn's parish church, dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, was established in Saxon times and has a surrounding wall made of sarcen stones.

At the crossroads of the B4001 and B4000, Lambourn developed as an important market centre and is sometimes known as Chipping Lambourn ('chipping' means market).

A market is still held weekly in the Market Place.

One of Lambourn's notable landmarks, a 500 year old Market Cross, stands in the Market Place.  This was erected in 1446 when Henry V1 granted the settlement a charter for markets and fairs.

Since the 18th century Lambourn has been an important centre of National Hunt horse racing.  There are over 50 Racing Yards in the area amd around 2,000 racehorses are in training in the surrounding valley, known as the 'Valley of the Racehorse'.  The springy downland turf is perfect for gallops and there also all-weather gallops.

Lambourn Open Day, held on Good Friday, gives everyone a chance to see these beautiful thoroughbred horses close up.  Horseracing provides a good deal of employment for the local population but the growth of the area means many villagers now commute to various points along the M4.

One of the last makers of cravats in the UK is located in Lambourn.

Nearby tourist attractions include Ashdown House and the White Horse at Uffington Castle, the UK's oldest and most famous hill figure.

The White Horse lies near the Ridgeway National Trail, an 87 mile trail following the ancient chalk ridge route used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers.  Said to be, 'Britain's oldest road', the trail runs from Overton Hill near Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon.  A route for walkers, the trail is also suitable for cyclists and horseriders in the west.