| 
Welcome
to our delightful town and to the new edition of the Thame Guide.
Close to the Chiltern Hills, Thame is a market town with a village
atmosphere. It has a strong community spirit with an active voluntary
sector, numerous interest groups, sports clubs and social organisations.
The entire town centre is designated as a Conservation Area and
the wide, boat-shaped High Street is a striking sight for new visitors.
The design owes its origins to medieval town planning and the requirements
of the market. Ancient inns and houses in a variety of styles and
materials create a scene once described as ‘picturesque in
an unpretentious way’.
Although our knowledge of the town’s history begins in the
Anglo Saxon period, it was as a market town that Thame became significant.
The market was established in the year 1219, when the Bishop of
Lincoln, keen that any traveller should patronise his market, obtained
a licence to divert the Oxford-Aylesbury road so that it passed
right through the market place. The Bishop stood to gain a sizeable
sum in the way of tolls, stall fees and fines for the unruly!*
Back in the present, the launch in February of Thame’s new
football stadium, Meadow View Park, marked the crowning point for
the project achieved by the Thame Football Partnership and Thame
Town Council.
A priority for the Town Council in 2011-2012 is to commission a
Town Plan, with community consultation being a key factor of the
Plan’s evolution. The Council is intent upon ensuring that
any future development is what the town wants and needs, and that
the necessary infrastructure is in place to service such development.
By the end of 2011 we will know what effect the Localism Bill will
have on the way the Council operates, and the opportunities and
challenges it will create.
In the meantime, we hope that both residents and visitors will find
this Guide informative and useful. Many people now use the Internet
for information but we find that demand continues for a paper version.
*For more on Thame’s history, visit our excellent Museum at
79 High Street (free admission!) or see their website www.thamemuseum.org
Transport Thame is 14 miles east of Oxford, 10 miles south west
of Aylesbury and 47 miles from London. Thame is easily accessible
from the M40 and Junction 6, 7 and 8a heading west, and 8a and 6
heading east.
Bus
A regular service between Oxford and Aylesbury (via Thame) is
operated by ‘Arriva’ Bus Company, bus number 280. Tel:
0870 608 2608.
From Oxford, the Oxford Express and Oxford Tube provide a frequent
service to London. Oxford Express: 01865 785400 Oxford Tube: 01865
772250.
From Oxford there are also express services to Heathrow and Gatwick
Airports.
Rail
Haddenham and Thame Parkway Station, two miles from Thame, is
on the Birmingham to London, Marylebone Chiltern Line. The Arriva
280 bus links the station with Thame. Tel: 08456 005165.
|
