Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Tourist Information Centre
is inside Henley
Town Hall, Market Place (
&
01491/578034;
www.visitsouthoxfordshire.co.uk).
Hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm (3pm in winter).
Exploring the Area
River & Rowing Museum
MUSEUM This museum celebrates the Thames and
those oarsmen and oarswomen who row upon it. A short walk south of Henley Bridge,
the
Rowing Gallery
follows the history of rowing from the days of the Greeks. It's all
here: Models of arctic whaleboats in the 1700s, elaborate Venetian gondolas fit for a
Doge, and coastal lifeboats that pulled many a victim from the cold waters of the North
Sea. In a more modern exhibit, you'll find the boat in which British oarsmen captured
the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The
Thames Gallery
reaches
out to embrace the saga of the river itself, while the
Henley Gallery
tells the story of
the town. The showstopper here is an Iron Age hoard found in Henley in 2003, made
up of 32 cold coins dating from around a.d. 50. The
Wind in the Willows Gallery
celebrates Mr. Toad, Ratty, Badger, and Mole, E. H. Shepard's whimsical creations
largely inspired by his time at Pangbourne, a short paddle down the Thames from here.
Mill Meadows.
&
01491/415600.
www.rrm.co.uk. Admission £8 adults; £6 children 4-16; £22 family
ticket for 4, £26 for 5, and £28 for 6. May-Aug daily 10am-5:30pm; Sept-Apr daily 10am-5pm.
Where to Eat
Argyll
PUB FARE This is a traditional pub, with plenty of cozy nooks, wood
fires in winter, and a beer garden for sunny days. Suffolk's Greene King cask ales
dominate (IPA and Abbot Ale), but it's also a popular lunch spot with locals. The
doorstep sandwiches (with fresh crusty bread and salad) are a good deal (from £4.50),
and most of the main courses—Cumberland sausages and mash, beer-battered had-
dock—come in at under £10.
15 Market Place.
&
01491/573400.
www.theargyllhenley.co.uk. Main courses and platters £8.50-£19.
AE, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 10am-midnight; Fri-Sat 10am-1am.
Crooked Billet
GASTROPUB This venerable old pub, a few miles northwest of
Henley, is well worth an excursion. The cask ales (Brakspears Best Bitter) are superb,
but most people come to eat from the menu of contemporary Italian, French provin-
cial, and popular bistro dishes that changes seasonally. Expect delights such as
smoked eel, slow roast Barbary duck, and spinach and ricotta filo strudel. Simple
classics like the Welsh rarebit and a glass of stout, or warm treacle (sugar syrup)
sponge with custard sauce are equally satisfying. The inn dates back to around 1642,
and highwayman Dick Turpin supposedly hid out here in the 1730s, on account of
his romantic attachment to the landlord's daughter.
Newlands Lane.
&
01491/681048.
www.thecrookedbillet.co.uk. Main courses £13-£25. AE, MC, V. Daily
noon-2:15pm and 7-10pm.
Hotel du Vin Bistro
BISTRO Henley's top hotel also contains the best restau-
rant, a stylish bistro serving the best of modern British cooking, local ingredients
fused with French techniques and a few outright French classics: The moules marin-
ière makes a piquant starter. The core of the menu is all about fusion, though: Try the
roast Yorkshire grouse with fondant potato, crisp ham, and orange jus, or just the
delicately baked fish pie.
5
