Pangbourne Tourist Information

Pangbourne is on the River Thames near the Oxfordshire border, 5 miles from Reading.The River Pang flows through Pangbourne Village to join the River Thames between the lock and the bridge.

Directly across the River Thames lies the smaller Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames.

These two villages, connected by the Whitchurch Toll Bridge and the weir at Whitchurch Lock, are often considered to be one settlement.

Pangbourne dates back to Saxon times and remained a small village until a station on the Great Western Railway was opened just outside the village in 1840.

The village was then easily accessible from London and it soon became popular with anglers, artists and pleasure seekers.

It was at Pangbourne that Jerome K Jerome's 'Three Men in a Boat' ended their epic journey along the Thames and headed back to London by train.

Kenneth Grahame, writer of the 'Wind in the Willows' lived at Church Cottage in Pangbourne.  Pangbourne Meadow beside the river is a good place for fishing, boating or walking along the towpath.

In June the Pangbourne Fete is held here over a weekend.

The Swan, just upstream from Whitchurch Lock, is one of the few pubs around here with a riverside frontage.  Dating from 1642, when part of the building was used to store grain, the pub is a popular venue during the summer months.

Nearby to visit is Basildon Park.