Wantage is a historic market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, at the foot of the Berkshire Downs. It is best known as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great, and his statue has stood in the Market Place since 1877. Today it is a busy small town with markets twice a week, independent shops, pubs and cafés, and the Ridgeway and the Uffington White Horse close by.
Wantage at a glance
- County: Oxfordshire. Wantage was in Berkshire until 1974, which is why the hills above it are still called the Berkshire Downs.
- District: Vale of White Horse, with Wantage Town Council for the town itself.
- Parliament: the Didcot and Wantage constituency.
- Postcode: OX12, shared with Grove and the villages around.
- River: the Letcombe Brook, a chalk stream that runs through the town.
- Market days: Wednesday and Saturday, in the Market Place.
- Nearest towns: Grove (1.5 miles), Didcot, Abingdon and Faringdon (about 8 miles), Oxford (about 13 miles). See where Wantage is.
- Twin towns: Seesen in Germany and Mably in France. See Wantage twinning.
What is Wantage famous for?
King Alfred. According to his biographer Asser, Alfred the Great was born at the royal estate of Wantage in 849. As King of Wessex from 871 to 899 he resisted the Danes, built a network of fortified towns, issued a law code and promoted learning. His marble statue by Count Gleichen was unveiled in the Market Place in 1877.
John Betjeman. The poet lived at The Mead in Wantage, by the Letcombe Brook, from 1951 to 1972, and became Poet Laureate in 1972. The Betjeman Millennium Park, off Mill Street, has a poetry trail in his memory.
Jude the Obscure. Thomas Hardy put Wantage into the novel as Alfredston, and a cottage in nearby Letcombe Bassett is traditionally linked with its Arabella.
The Wantage Tramway. From 1875 a steam tramway ran from Wantage Road station into the town, often described as the first steam tram service in Britain.
“Black Wantage”. In the 18th century Wantage became known as “Black Wantage”, a place of dirt, drink and crime, before the Victorian clean-up led by Lord Wantage and the Reverend William Butler. Our history of Wantage through the centuries tells the story.
Shopping in Wantage
The town centre is compact, so the shops are close together. The Market Place and the streets that run into it (Newbury Street, Wallingford Street, Mill Street and Grove Street) have a mix of independent shops, pubs and cafés alongside the supermarkets. Park in one of the district council car parks at Portway (by The Beacon), Limborough Road or Mill Street, or at the supermarkets. For a break, try one of the pubs and cafés around the Market Place, or the café at the Vale and Downland Museum in Church Street. The Wantage directory lists them all.
The Market Place
Wantage grew up around its market, and the Market Place is still the heart of the town. There is a market every Wednesday and Saturday, set out around King Alfred’s statue, as well as occasional speciality markets and the Dickensian Evening on the first Friday of December.
Food and drink
Wantage has a good range of pubs, restaurants and takeaways for all tastes, not just in the Market Place but all around Wantage, Grove and the nearby villages.
The arts
Wantage has a fine reputation for music, dance and poetry. The Wantage Summer Arts Festival runs for about five weeks in June and July, and the Wantage Literary Festival is held in the autumn. There are many thriving music and dance groups, including the Icknield Way Morris Men, the Vale Islanders 17th-century dance group and Cornucopia Appalachian step-clog dancers. See annual events in Wantage and what’s on.
Walking and cycling
Wantage is a good base for exploring the North Wessex Downs, particularly the Ridgeway. You can stay overnight in Wantage or one of the villages, or at the Court Hill Centre, just off the Ridgeway above the town. See walks and cycling near Wantage and our mapped walks.
History
Where do we start? The birthplace of King Alfred, a 13th-century parish church, the Wantage Tramway, and nearby the ancient White Horse, the Ridgeway, Uffington Castle and Wayland’s Smithy. The town itself is full of historic buildings, and the Vale and Downland Museum is the ideal starting point for exploring the town and the area around it. Read the history of Wantage.
Photography
Wantage and the villages around it offer plenty to photograph. In town there is the Market Place with King Alfred’s statue and the Bear Hotel, the 13th-century parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, the Letcombe Brook and the Betjeman Millennium Park. A short drive away on the downs are the Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle, Wayland’s Smithy and the Ridgeway, with wide views across the Vale, and the Lord Wantage monument above Lockinge. Local photographers’ work, old and new, is on our photography pages.
Questions or corrections? Get in touch.