Literary Thames
The River Thames has been a source of inspiration for many writers over the centuries and has featured in plays, novels, poems and essays by some of the greatest writers in the English language.
Why not take a trip to one of the most famous literary streets in England - West Street in the riverside town of Marlow. With it's residents including T.S Eliot, Thomas Love Peacock, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary, the town has lots of literary links to explore.
The Thames is at its loveliest as it flows through this charming Georgian market town, spanned by an elegant suspension bridge, built in 1832. Visitors can enjoy the view from the green spaces of Higginson Park, or the historic Compleat Angler Hotel (named after Isaak Walton's world famous book on angling), where you can stop for a bite to eat in their lounge. The river here is the venue for the annual ceremony of "Swan Upping" when the new crop of cygnets are identified and tagged by the Queen's Swan Marker, as well as the Marlow Town Regatta, held every year in June.
Why not take a walk around the town to discover what else Marlow has to offer? Having been around since the 11th Century when it was ringed by monastic foundations, there are many places with fascinating histories to discover.
Most of my life I have dwelt in the neighbourhood of the river. I thank Old Father Thames for many happy days. We spent our honeymoon, my wife and I, in a little boat. I knew the river well, its deep pools, and hidden ways, its quiet backwaters, its sleepy towns and villages.
Jerome K Jerome
Any tour of Marlow should start from the oldest building, "The Old Parsonage" situated at the top of St. Peter Street. The house, together with the adjoining residence, are described by archaeologists as the finest Medieval survival in Buckinghamshire. Further down the street is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter, designed in the Gothic manner by the elder Pugin in 1846. From the bottom of St. Peter Street, enjoy a stunning view of Marlow Weir with the magnificent backdrop of Quarry Woods.
Not only home to famed authors, the River Thames has often been used as a motif in many literary works; for example Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome, describes a boat trip up the Thames, published in 1889, it has never been out of print, proof of the continuing influence of the River Thames on literary imagination. And of course, who can forget Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows with its tale of the Thames riverside lives of Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger.