Henley seen from St Mary’s tower

THE tight spiral staircase built into the corner of the tower of St Mary’s Church in Henley has no windows so there is no feeling of height until the roof is reached.

From the roof the views are spectacular. The main feature is the River Thames flowing up from the south at the River & Rowing Museum under the bridge and then on to Temple Island along the regatta course now marked out by more than 2,000m of laser-straight booms.

Looking down from the height of an aeroplane flattens the land below but looking across from the church tower accentuates the soft wooded slopes that surround Henley in every direction.

It looks like the painting by Jan Siberechts in the River & Rowing Museum, which shows a view of Henley nestling in the meeting point of several valleys.

The buildings around the church look today much as they did when this was painted in 1698.

Nearer the tower the streets and roofs of the old houses show the long burgage plots in the blocks behind the principal four streets of central Henley.

The characteristics of many of the old buildings reflect the importance of malting and brewing in Henley.

• With kind permission of Rev Jeremy Tayler, rector of Henley with Remenham.