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Little Wittenham is a hamlet of some two dozen houses at the foot of the Sinodun
Hills, better known as Wittenham Clumps. The Clumps are a favourite place for
walking and kite-flying, and there is a splendid view over the Thames valley as
a reward for the climb.
They are historically important too: Castle Hill is the site of an Iron Age hill
fort and pottery from the early Iron Age has been found there. Unfortunately
some of the trees on Round Hill had to be felled a few years ago but new ones
are growing and will in time restore the well-known outline. The Clumps are now
part of the Northmoor Trust. This was established in 1982, primarily for the
conservation of wildlife. The public have access to the grassland and Clumps by
agreement between the Trust and Oxfordshire County Council. The Council pay the
Trust a rent of one red rose annually for allowing this.
Little Wittenham was formerly known as Abbots Wittenham because of its
connection with the Benedictine abbey in Abingdon. It has no school or shop; the
only central meeting place is St Peters church. This little church with its
14th century tower is well worth a visit, especially in early spring when the
churchyard is full of aconites and snowdrops. The nave was restored in 1862 and
contains some fine memorial brasses. There is a marble and alabaster monument of
Sir Walter Dunch, his wife (an aunt of Oliver Cromwell), and nine children.
Below the church, the steep path leads to the Thames. On the left the Trust are
restoring a field to its original state as a water meadow. A newly rebuilt
bridge over the Thames brings you to Days Lock. Here you can picnic, swim (if
you dare) and watch the boats go by. The present lock-keeper works tirelessly
for the Lifeboat Association organising fetes and sales. He has established the
World Pooh-sticks Championships, held around New Years Day. Competitors from
near and far drop their stick into the water on one side of the bridge and rush
to see whose is the first to come out the other side, just as Winnie-the-Pooh
did in A. A. Mimes book.
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