This is ferry lane in Cholsey on a November Sunday afternoon. the river Thames which is at the end has flooded as you can see. This used to be called papist way till it's name got changed.
The lane here was resurfaced in the spring doing away with all the deep pot holes that were there it now remains to be seen how it stands up to the flooding and winter frosts that we now get. The water will rise more yet and most likely come up to near where the bottom of the photo is before receding again.
"During the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Roman Catholics of England were persecuted. One of the Catholic families - Hildesley/Hilsley/Ilsley - lived at Littlestoke Manor across the river from Littlestoke ferry. Other significant Catholic groups lived up and down the Thames and as a result the river became a means for them to communicate with each other and meet for mass. The ferry lane here became known as Papist Way."
I live here :-)
ReplyDeleteThe locals still insist on pronouncing Papist with a short 'a'' though...
Paul you must live in one of few houses that were built on Ferry Lane http://forgottenfairmile.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/the-geroge-schuster-ward.html. It's nice to know that some of the old Berkshire accent is still used in the village. You will get used to it.
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