Around Thrupp

Things to do in and around Thrupp

Set in the picturesque village of Thrupp in Oxfordshire, Annie's Tea Room was originally part of the old British Waterways Yard. Now beautifully renovated, the building is an ideal setting from which to explore the charming Oxford canal and the River Cherwell.

Before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury held the manor of Thrupp. It is recorded in the Domesday Book as 'Trop', the Old English for farm or hamlet and was such a small settlement that the Domesday Book did not record it as having any tenants.

In 1788 the Oxford Canal was extended southwards from Northbrook towards Kidlington and Oxford. It was completed in 1790, linked Oxford with Coventry and so provided a continuous waterway between Birmingham and London.

During the 19th century it was an important route for coal, lime and stone. The coal trade was the last vestige of the formerly diverse traffic. This declined in the 1950s and the last regular deliveries were in 1961. In 1971, the wharf at Thrupp was lengthened to accommodate the increasing number of pleasure boats.

Thrupp's size has not increased greatly since the time of the Domesday Book and its main attraction today is the row of picturesque terraced cottages along the bank of the Canal. These were built when the canal company bought the manorial watermill, demolished most of it, and built a row of cottages beside the canal in its place. They used to be called Salt Row and one historian suggests that they served as salt warehouses.

At the end of the road through Thrupp is a Lift Bridge (now mechanised) which takes the road across the canal and into Canal Yard, where the old BW buildings have now been converted into offices and Annie's Tea Room. On the other side of the yard are three cottages with a common thatched roof.

Walks

Thrupp Wide in the Winter

Beside the cottages, a path leads to a railway bridge. Walk under the bridge and you will come to a wooden gate and a large map displaying the many footpaths that criss-cross the Thrupp Community Woodlands.

There are also plenty of towpath and countryside walks in the area for experienced and novices alike. If you'ee feeling brave, why not try the Oxford Canal Walk