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Goring has developed as a rural community on the east bank of the river Thames
in the Goring Gap. It lies in one of the most attractive reaches where the river
flows through an area of outstanding beauty.
Here, long ago, the Icknield Way, one of the great early highways, crossed the
river by means of a ford and joined up with the great Berkshire Ridgeway. Today
these two ancient ways form the basis of the modern Ridgeway Path running from
Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Qverton Hill near Marlborough.
The two highways were used extensively for driving sheep from East Anglia to the
great fairs in the west. This unfortunately attracted the attention of sheep
rustlers which proved difficult to contain.
From Saxon times Goring had a corn mill which was of great benefit. From Norman
times until the 15th century it was owned by the prestigious Abbey of Bec in
Normandy. Later, the mill provided electricity for the village but it is now a
residence.
The church of St Thomas of Canterbury is late 11th century and was probably
built by Robert DOyley, the first Norman lord of Goring. In the 12th century a
small group of Augustinian nuns founded a priory adjoining the church, which
building they shared with the parishioners. Later, the nuns built their own
church to the east of the parish church, separated from it by an interior wall.
The parish church has an interesting brass of Hugh Whistler and his family.
Hughs age at his death appears to have been 216 years according to the
inscription. This is probably a careless engraving of the more likely 46, too
great a flourish being provided to the first downward stroke of the 4.
The church also has one of the oldest bells in the country, cast about 1290 by
Richard de Wymbis. It hangs on a bracket in the church but is no longer rung.
In 1303 Isabella of Kent, a very wealthy woman staying at the priory, attracted
the unwelcome attention of William of Huntersull. Isabella had to take to the
tower of the church when William with some 21 men rode to the priory and then
through the church to the High Altar. The chaplain of Goring and a lay brother
were attacked as they sought to protect Isabella, who was seized by the men and
carried away. The men were subsequently excommunicated and Isabella brought a
civil action against them. The priory was eventually dissolved in the 16th
century at the Reformation.
One of the greatest disasters in the villages history was the tragedy in July
1674 when a boat returning to Streatley after the Goring Fair and containing 5
060 persons, passed too close to the weir and overturned. All but 14 persons
were drowned, together with one horse. This was before the first pound lock at
Goring was built in 1787.
The earliest recorded bridge over the Thames at Goring was erected upstream of
the old ferry in 1837. It was a toll bridge and the various charges created some
rather absurd situations. A person crossing by foot was required to pay ld, but
if he drove a calf or pig over he paid only d. It is said one Goring man always
took his pig with him when he crossed the bridge to save himself a little money.
The bridge was rebuilt in 1923 and all tolls abolished.
The oldest lay buildings in the village are reputed to be a 15th century barn
belonging to the Old Farm House in Station Road and parts of the Old Vicarage
which may be 16th century.
A number of large houses were demolished in the 20th century and small housing
estates developed on the sites. The demand for more housing accommodation
indicates how Goring has changed in recent times.
The oldest inn is the Catherine Wheel in Station Road, which was the main street
at one time; the inn may date back to Elizabethan times. The largest inn is the
Miller of Mansfield, a name taken from an old legend concerning a miller who
entertained King Henry II with a pie made from poached royal deer.
Goring lies in fine farming country providing a source of employment,
particularly in the past. Notable industries no longer existing include the boat
building firm of Samuel Saunders, who took over Goring wharf and built the
Springfield Works near South Stoke. Later the firm developed successful speed
boats and steam launches and then moved to Cowes. In 1929 it operated under the
name of Saunders-Roe of flying boat fame.
The village also had a brewery, established in the 19th century, which later
became Gundry and Co. The business declined and was sold in 1940.
Today, despite a certain reputation for becoming a commuters dormitory due to
the convenient train service to London, there are numerous organisations, most
of which are thriving. Various river sports have their own clubs but sadly, the
Goring and Streatley Regatta, one of the most important on the river in its
heyday, failed to survive the First World War.
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