Mapledurham
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Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire.
It should not be confused with the Mapledurham electoral ward of the nearby Borough of Reading, which is a subdivision of that town's suburb of Caversham.
Village
The village is on the north bank of the River Thames about northwest of Reading. The only road access is by a narrow and steep lane from Trench Green on the road between Caversham and Goring-On-Thames. Despite the fact that Mapledurham village is closer, as the crow flies, to central Reading than some of that town's suburbs, it remains a remote and rural location.Ordnance Survey (2006). OS Explorer Map 159 - Reading. ISBN 0-319-23730-3.
The Church of England parish church of St. Margaret is mainly 14th and 15th century, and was restored in 1863 by the Gothic Revival architect William ButterfieldSherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 693-694. Mapledurham Watermill is 16th and 17th centurySherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 697 and is the last operational watermill on the Thames. Mapledurham House, the country house that is the headquarters of the Mapledurham estate, is one of the largest Elizabethan houses in OxfordshireSherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 695-697
Mapledurham Lock is on the opposite bank of the river, by the Berkshire village of Purley-on-Thames. Although the weir stretches across the river between the two villages, no access is possible across it and, in the absence of a boat, journeys between the two villages require a lengthy detour via Caversham or Whitchurch-on-Thames.
Because of its picturesque situation, and lack of through traffic, Mapledurham has been used as a set for several films, most notably the 1976 film of The Eagle Has Landed. The village, house and mill form something of a local tourist attraction, and on summer weekends the village can be reached by a boat service from Reading.
For local government purposes the civil parish forms part of the district of South Oxfordshire within the county of Oxfordshire. It is within the Henley constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament, and the South East England constituency of the European Parliament.
The estate belongs to the family of John "Jack" Eyston. At one time the estate included several farms, but farming has now been consolidated on a single farm. The estate has strongly diversified into leisure activities, and includes two golf courses and several holiday cottages. Additionally the house, watermill and surrounding grounds are opened to the public on weekend and bank holiday afternoons from April to September.
Civil Parish
The civil parish of Mapledurham covers a considerably larger area than the village itself, and includes the even smaller settlements of Trench Green and Chazey Heath in the Chiltern Hills above the village. In the 2001 census it had a population of 280 in 112 households.
Estate
The Mapledurham estate owns much of the village and parish. It also includes the Mapledurham Watermill, a historic and still operational watermill on the River Thames, and Mapledurham House, an Elizabethan stately home.