From riverside strolls and cosy pub lunches to heritage shops and vintage cinemas, Henley-on-Thames offers a timeless slice of English charm
In David Fincher’s Oscar-winning drama The Social Network, a Harvard crew narrowly fails to win a rowing race, darkening the mood of the Winklevoss twins who vow to sue Mark Zuckerberg.
It’s a tension-filled cinematic moment set at the Henley Royal Regatta, one of Britain’s most famous sporting fixtures and, for some, a highlight in the summertime social calendar.
Every July since 1839, the rowing event has lured pan-global athletes and cosmopolitan visitors – including British royalty – to Henley-on-Thames.
It is an exceptionally beautiful town sprawled regally around its eponymous river for centuries, less than an hour by train from central London (via the Great Western Railway from Paddington or an Elizabeth Line train from Tottenham Court Road, with a change at Twyford).
Over several days of the splashy summer regatta, there are clashes between men’s and women’s crews representing college students from Oxford and Cambridge universities (whose legendary rowing rivalry dates back to the early 1800s), as well as between schools, clubs and even Olympic-level competitors.
This quintessentially English summertime staple sees strawberries and fruity Pimm’s plucked from wicker hampers, smartly clad guests and music at the Henley Festival. A 12th-century settlement that blossomed into a prosperous trading post in the 1800s, Henley is a picturesque spot in Oxfordshire, flush with Tudor architecture and mews houses.
But the timeworn yet polished town is also a modern haven for gourmets, shoppers and aesthetes – one that’s worth a visit any time of the year. No wonder pop legends George Harrison and Dusty Springfield – who’s buried in the churchyard of the 800-year-old St Mary the Virgin – chose to make it their home.
That same sensation of discovering new light through old windows follows visitors throughout this eminently walkable town.
On my first post-Covid visit, I found familiar buildings inhabited by new occupants, from The Red Lion pub – now housing the boutique hotel The Relais Henley, home to the acclaimed Restaurant Dominic Chapman – to swish eateries along one of Britain’s most romantic riversides, complete with swans and mallards.
Yet much of this ageless utopia, suffused with a pervasive nostalgia, remains just as I’ve always known it. A day’s visit usually begins with a pub lunch at a sun-drenched spot at either The Angel on the Bridge (1728) or The Old Bell (1325), both housed in Grade II-listed buildings (protected structures of special architectural and historic significance).
The meal is often followed by a stroll along stone-paved streets and alleys, with detours into The Bell Bookshop or Bagatelle Toys along Bell Street. Perhaps an arthouse film at the delightful Art Deco-styled neighbourhood cinema, the Regal Picturehouse, or a peek inside The Kenton Theatre, one of the country’s oldest performance venues, housed in a brick-clad Georgian building.
But for something truly unhurried, nothing beats a chartered boat cruise (book at Hobbs of Henley along Station Road), drifting past some of England’s loveliest country homes.
10 places to check out in Henley
From riverside bistros and rare bookshops to vintage finds and local art, these Henley highlights capture the town’s enduring charm – one stop at a time
1. Giggling Squid. Authentic Thai cuisine served up amid beautiful, pastel-hued décor. 40 Hart St.
2. Côte. Fine French fare in the middle of town (mussels in white wine and a decadent cheese cart). 2–4 Bell St.
3. Luscombes. Stellar European and Asiatic cuisine among lively, cosy interiors. 8 Bell St.
4. Restaurant Dominic Chapman. Farm-to-table cooking alongside the Thames. Thameside.
5. Bistro at the Boathouse. Family-run diner dishing up comforting recipes in style. Station Rd.
6. The Ferret. An Aladdin’s cave of jewellery, first- edition classics and vintage garments. 4 Friday St.
7. Jonkers Rare Books. Treasure trove for bibliophiles seeking literary obscurities. 27 Hart St.
8. Gabriel Machin. Outstanding boucherie that’s been a fixture since 1910. 7 Market Place.
9. The Lemongrove Gallery. Diverse works by contemporary European artists. 10 Dukes St.
10. River & Rowing Museum. Three galleries tell the story of the Thames and its favourite sport. Mill Meadows.
