Places features

As you walk down the footpath between the modern village and the River Thames, you'll pass some odd shaped mounds that look like a disused skate park left to go to seed.

What you are looking at are Late Iron Age Dyke Hills. The area has had a settlement on it since before 1000 BC. As well as being the site of an important Roman town it was a crucial centre for Christianity in the UK for a good part of the Middle Ages.

In 635AD Bishop Birinus was sent from Rome by Pope Honorius I. Birinus baptised Cynegils the King of Wessex and was given land by him on which he started to build the Abbey. The building we now see was begun in the 12th century and was greatly expanded after the tomb of St Birinus was opened to the public, earning the church a substantial sum from visiting pilgrims.

The abbey remains an important example of ancient architecture because a great deal of it survived Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. In 1536 St Birinus' shrine was destroyed, but Sir Richard Bewfforeste saved much of the rest of the church by paying for the lead on the chancel roof.

The church now serves simply as the Parish church, but is also a fabulous location for concerts. Radiohead recorded parts for their Amnesiac and Kid A albums with The Orchestra of St John's at Dorchester Abbey.

The rest of the village is extremely picturesque with a wonderful walk down to the Thames and up to Wittenham, and in the afternoons there is a little museum and teashop for visitors.  Dorchester-on-Thames is a great place to stop off if you have some spare time to enjoy a sunny day.