Maps:
The moored boats on the river are at the Perch landing stage. There is a path through the trees to the Perch.
Perch Inn History
This section in The Stripling Thames by Fred Thacker
1910: This section in Thames Valley Villages by Charles G Harper
2008: September - The Perch is open again! see link
2007: The Perch caught fire and lost most of its roof in May -
The Perch fire damage 2007
1977: The 2007 fire appears to have been almost identical to the fire in 1977 -
The Perch burning in 1977
Moorings on Right bank. The woodwork on the moorings is not very secure – be careful!
Tying up here you then walk the hundred
yards or so straight into the pub garden. Good pub grub. Children's Playground.
The Perch, which is owned by Christchurch College, dates partly from the 17th century.
1761: 20th July, James Woodforde, a scholar at New College wrote in his
diary -
At Binzey for victuals and drink ……I was in the water coming down 20 Times. At skettles with Bell at Binzey won 1 - 0
1831: The Perch was then called The Fish.
1842: 'The well-known Fish'.
1862: The Perch at Binsey, George Price Boyce.
The Perch at Binsey in 1862, George Price Boyce, 1826-1890
1870: The Perch, Henry Taunt -
The Perch, Henry Taunt, 1870
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT1014
1922: The Perch, Dr A H Church -
The Perch, Dr A H Church, 1922
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; D213670a
At the church in
Binsey is the holy well known as the Treacle Well (i.e. Healing Well)
which is sufficiently strange as to be mentioned in Alice in Wonderland.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
"Excuse my ignorance",
a visitor said one day to the jolly landlord and his wife at the Perch,
"but where are the Binsey treacle mines?"
And the roar of laughter that went up was Titanic. By no less a title does local humour christen
the mud holes that winter rains and floods leave in the neighbouring roads and footpaths.
They say too, that the inhabitants of the little place, so idyllic in summer, will reply, if asked where
they live:
"At Binsey! Where do you suppose?" when sunny days are with them.
But in winter the groan goes up at the same question: "At Binsey, Lord help us!"
Binsey, St Margaret's Well
At the west end of this chappel, about three yards distant, is the well or spring, antiently and to this day called St. Margaret's Well, being the very same that she by her prayers at the building of the chapple opened. Of which heare a certaine old English poet, who in the life of St. Frideswyde in the legend of English saints, speaking of her various fortunes and of her passage from Bampton to this place, saith thus:
Ther fer with her felaisis [fellows]. she be laft ther
And to serve Jhesu Christ . a chapel leet arere [raise]
Ther as is yit a fayr cort . and a cherche fayr and swete
Arerid in the honour . of her and Seynte Margrete
As this mayde wonyd [lived] ther . in holy lyf and clene
The maydenes that were with her . gone hem ofte be mene [bemoan]
That water was sum del to fer . hem ofte for smale dede
And cride on Seynt Friswid . that she schold hem therof rede [rid]
This mayde Seynt Friswid . bad our lordis sonde
That he water thorw his gras . hem sente ner honde
So sprong ther up a welle . cler inowf [enough] and clene
That fond hem water inowf . tho dorst hem nought be mene[bemoan]
That beside the cherche is yit [it] . in the west syde
That mony a mon hath bote do . and that men seggeth wide.
There are other stories - though the nineteenth century enthusiasm for them has rather obscured any genuine medieval stories, to the point where we cannot be certain of any detail.
Map: Black Jack’s Hole (bend above the Perch)
1787: Before Godstow
Lock was decided upon there was discussion about a pound lock at Black Jack's Hole.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
Black Jack's, once a willowy island, is now part of the meadow. The River is still very deep and dark at Black Jack's ("Black John's Pitt" in Wood), though once much deeper. To scare youngsters from bathing there a bogey tale was told them of an evil goblin who would leap upon them and keep them under water in his cave.
Port Meadow (left bank all along here).
Site of Peel Yate Ford in Port Meadow (mentioned by Jessop in 1789).
1791: Samuel Ireland -
THE beauty of the scenery a little below Godstow still encreases, and the river nobly expanding itself, seems proudly urging its course, to pay its tribute to that ancient and noble seminary of learning, Oxford, whose venerable towers and lofty domes all happily unite to form a general mass of objects superior to any thing which this country can boast.
(Upstream to The Trout at Godstow)
Introduction
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