Maps
1610: Camden -
... the Tamisis passeth most mildly between verie rich and fertile fields on both sides, by Monks-ford, which King Henrie the First gave unto Girald Fitz-Walter, from whence the Noble family of the Carewes is descended.
1870: John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales -
MOULSFORD, a village and a parish in Wallingford district, Berks.
The village stands on the river Thames at the boundary with Oxford,
¾ of a mile S of Wallingford-Road r. station, and 3½ S by W of Wallingford;
and has a post office under Wallingford.
The parish comprises 1,429 acres. Real property, £1,707. Pop., 180. Houses, 35.
The property belongs to H. B. Morrell, Esq.
A bridge of two brick arches, each 62 feet in span, here crosses the Thames.
The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Oxford. Value, £60. * Patron, H. B. Morell, Esq.
The church is in the modern decorated English style, and has a wooden tower.
Charities, £7. Bishop Barrington was a resident.
1884: The Upper Thames, Harpers New Monthly Magazine -
By-and-by, ... we glide into one of the most beautiful reaches
of the river, which spreads out into the proportions of a miniature lake.
There is little or no current. It is as if the waters gathered together here and rested,
to make of themselves a mirror for the surrounding scenery.
The captain passed the word to “back water”, and then to ship our oars.
We sat still to take in the scene.
Beech and elm and poplar, golden and bronzed with autumn tints, emerald meadows and sedgy banks,
were reflected with patches of blue and white sky in nature’s mirror. No one of us spoke.
It seemed as if the scene had words for us - words that whispered in the trees an accompaniment
to the songs of birds and to the deeper harmonies of distant villages.
The influence of Nature in her gentle moods, amidst soft pastoral pictures of the slowly decaying year,
is not conducive to conversation.
Taking up our oars again in silence, we hugged the shady shore,
that we might not disturb the “liquid glories” of the panoramic reflections of the further banks.
A succession of pictures seems to go floating by ...
Map: The Beetle and Wedge
Right bank, restaurant pub with customers' mooring -
Ferry Slipway, Right bank, end of Ferry Lane, between drinkers!
any craft that can be carried by one person alone!
I do not know what the rights of use of this slipway are but in any case there
is no access for vehicles or trailers.
1910: Beetle & Wedge in
Thames Villages by Charles Harper -
Boating-men know Moulsford only as
that place where the old waterside inn, the Beetle
and Wedge, is situated. The queer sign has puzzled
many town dwellers, but it presents no difficulties
to country folk, for a "beetle" is well known to
them as a heavy wooden mallet, used in splitting
timber, and the "wedge" is the iron wedge inserted
in the timber and struck by the "beetle".
The inn has, like most other Thames-side inns, been
largely added to and altered ; but old frequenters
of the river have ardent memories of it and their
morning "rum-and-milk."
Does any one in these latter days take that old
traditional Thames-side morning drink, "rum-and-milk",
that once most favoured of all up-river restoratives?
Have we not, in "those dear dead days beyond recall," as we lay in our more or less
lavender-scented beds in some old-world waterside hostelry,
been awakened by the clink of a trayful of glasses
and heard a knock at the door, with the call, "Your
rum-and-milk, sir"?
We had not ordered rum-and-milk at that untimeous hour, but as this was obviously the proper
thing to be done, the custom of the country, so
to say, we drank that strange drink, rather a
heady and heavy drink, without question, and were
promptly sent off to sleep again by it.
Aerial View of the Beetle & Wedge
The Beetle and Wedge - at least this WAS the Beetle & Wedge - this bit may now be private
1873: Advertisement -
1873 Advertisement
1877: Moulsford Ferry, Henry Taunt -
Moulsford Ferry, Henry Taunt, 1877
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT2060
1878: Moulsford Ferry, Henry Taunt -
Moulsford Ferry, Henry Taunt, 1878
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT2422
1881: George Leslie -
Moulsford Church and the “Beetle and Wedge” Inn are picturesque;
1885: Moulsford Ferry, The Royal River –
Moulsford Ferry, 1885
1891: The Stream of Pleasure, Joseph & Elizabeth Robins Pennell -
Nothing could be prettier than the little Beetle and Wedge, red and gabled, with a big landing-place almost at the front door
"The Magnificent Residential & Sporting Estate distinguished as Moulsford Manor" was for sale in around 1910. It included the Beetle and Wedge -
... the famous BEETLE & WEDGE HOTEL
This Old-established Riverside Hotel is well-known to all Oxford Graduates,
as it adjoins the Reach on which the Trial Eights hold their meetings.
The House, which is pleasantly situated facing the River, is Fully Licensed,
and affords every convenience for visitors making a stay on the river.
It has a considerable number of Bed Rooms, and there is a good Tennis Lawn and Bowling Green
attached, also Garage and Boathouse. The Ferry between Berks and Oxon is
owned by the Hotel.
[ At Moulsford Manor House ] there are Fine Terraced Lawns leading gently down to the river ...
On the river bank are a substantial landing stage with seats and a Picturesque Boathouse
timber built with thatched roof and room for four or five boats,
with a private backwater to the river.
The Eastern Boundary of the Estate is chiefly formed by one of the longest reaches
on the River Thames, a magnificent stretch of water affording Excellent Boating,
Bathing and Fishing.
1910: Moulsford Ferry and the Beetle and Wedge in the Sale Booklet -
Moulsford Ferry, 1910
The Moulsford Manor Estate -
The Moulsford Manor Estate
The Estate was split up in the 1930s
Left bank Ferry Slipway
Map: Moulsford Boatyard
Right bank, small slipway, 01491 652085 -
Moulsford Boatyard & Small Slipway
Moulsford Preparatory School, right bank
Sailing Barge near Moulsford in 2005 –
Sailing Barge near Moulsford, 2005
Barge Sailing tips #8543: Smoke a cigar and the smoke will show which way the wind blows
(Moulsford Railway Bridge)
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS