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Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames  Henley-on-Thames shown within Oxfordshire
Population	10,646 [1]
OS grid reference	SU7682
- London	36.4mi
District	South Oxfordshire
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HENLEY-ON-THAMES
Postcode district	RG9
Dialling code	01491
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Oxfordshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Henley
List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire

Henley-on-Thames

The first record of medieval settlement dates to 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted the manor of Benson and the town an manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church is first mentioned at Henley in 1204. In 1205 the town received a paviage grant, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Benson with a Chapel. It is probable that the street plan was established by the end of the 13th century.

As a demesne of the crown it was granted to John de Molyns, in 1337 whose family held it for about 250 years. It is said that members for Henley sat in parliaments of Edward I and Edward III, but no writs have been found to substantiate this.

The existing Thursday market, it is believed, was granted by a charter of King John. A market was certainly in existence by 1269, however, the jurors of the assize of 1284 said that they did not know by what warrant the earl of Cornwall held a market and fair in the town of Henley. The existing Corpus Christi fair was granted by a charter of Henry VI.

During the Black Death that swept through England in the 14th century, Henley lost 60% of its population.^[2]

By the beginning of the 16th century the town extended along the west bank of the Thames from Friday Street in the south to the Manor, now Phyllis Court, in the north and took in Hart Street and New Street. To the west it included Bell Street and the Market Place.

Henry VIII, having granted the use of the titles "mayor" and "burgess", the town was incorporated in 1568 by the name of the warden, portreeves, burgesses and commonalty.

Henley suffered from both parties in the Civil War. William III on his march to London in 1688 rested here, at the nearby recently rebuilt Fawley Court and received a deputation from the Lords. The period of prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries was due to manufactures of glass and malt, and to trade in corn and wool.

Henley-on-Thames owes much to its location and port that supplied London with timber and grain.

Fawley Court is a red-brick building designed by Christopher Wren for William Freeman (1684) with subsequent interior remodelling by James Wyatt and landscaping by Lancelot "Capability" Brown.

Greenlands which took its present form when owned by W. H. Smith and is now home to Henley Management College

The town has its own railway station, with direct service into London Paddington during peak hours. Off-peak service requires a change of train at Twyford. In addition, there are also express mainline rail services from nearby Reading to Paddington and High Wycombe which accesses London Marylebone. A short drive along the M4 motorway leads directly into London or along the M40 motorway to Hillingdon for the London Underground. The local bus service around the town is operated by Whites Coaches 151, 152, 153 and 154 routes.

The River and Rowing Museum, located in Mill Meadows, is the town's one museum. It was established in 1998, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The museum, designed by the architect David Chipperfield, features information on the River Thames, the sport of rowing, and the town of Henley itself.

Henley Rowing Club (located upstream of Henley Bridge)

Leander Club (world famous, home to Olympic and World Champions, near Henley Bridge)

Phyllis Court Rowing Club (part of the Phyllis Court Club and set up for recreational rowing)

Upper Thames Rowing Club (located just upstream from the 3/4 mile mark/Fawley/Old Blades)

British engineer Ross Brawn best known for his role as the technical director of the Scuderia Ferrari f1 team and current owner of the Brawn GP F1 team.

The Freeman family of Fawley Court: Several generations of Freemans lived at Fawley Court on the outskirts of Henley from 1684 to 1852. They contributed significantly to the development of Henley and the surrounding area as well as more generally to architecture and the study of antiquities (John (Cooke) Freeman and Sambrooke Freeman), and veterinary science and equitation (Strickland Freeman).

Humphrey Gainsborough, brother of the artist Thomas Gainsborough, was a pastor and inventor who lived in Henley. A blue plaque marks his house, "The Manse".

Musician Liam Gallagher of Oasis and his wife Nicole Appleton of All Saints have a second home in Henley-on-Thames.

Musician George Harrison lived at Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames from the 1970s until his death in 2001.

Politician Boris Johnson was the Member of Parliament until he resigned after being elected Mayor of London. A by-election elected Conservative John Howell to be the next MP of Henley.

Politician William Lenthall was born in Henley-on-Thames. He was Speaker of the House of Commons between 1629 and 1640.

Author George Orwell spent some of his formative years in Henley-on-Thames and the nearby village of Shiplake.

Radio 2 and BBC Berkshire broadcaster Andrew Peach lives in Henley with his wife and two children.

Broadcaster Phillip Schofield lives in Henley with his wife and two daughters.

Singer Dusty Springfield has a gravesite and marker in the grounds of a church in Henley-on-Thames. Her ashes were scattered in Henley and in Ireland at the Cliffs of Moher. Every year, fans of Dusty Springfield gather in Henley to celebrate "Dusty Day" on the closest Sunday to her birthday (16 April)

Harry Stott, joint winner of I'd Do Anything and star of TV show Roman Mysteries.

Falaise, France, since 1973

Leichlingen, Germany, since 1979

Borama, Somalia, since 1981