River Thame

[astalweeks]

is any of it or has any of it been navigable? I am sure there was a suggestion once of making it passable but perhaps that was in the 90's (1790's that is!). Can one get a canoe up it and if so how far?

[GUMPY]

I have got a 33ft narrowboat as far as Dorchester and winded there, its harder in a 60ft but has been done by Neil from TNC.

There used to be 2 cruisers moored at Dorchester not sure if they are still there.

Dorchester is well worth a visit, the best pub is long gone but the Cathedral is sublime.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Strictly an abbey rather than a cathedral... but given that the Diocese of Oxford doesn't really have a cathedral (an overgrown college chapel where you have to pay to get in doesn't count) I'll agree it ought to be Dorchester Cathedral!

[GUMPY]

Strictly an abbey rather than a cathedral... but given that the Diocese of Oxford doesn't really have a cathedral (an overgrown college chapel where you have to pay to get in doesn't count) I'll agree it ought to be Dorchester Cathedral!

Sorry my memory lapse, I knew it was a posh church but couldnt remember which type

[Lady Muck]

We canoe it every time we visit that part of the Thames, it's a pleasant enough canoe trip, it doesn't take that long to run out of water, to boat on, though.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Sorry my memory lapse, I knew it was a posh church but couldnt remember which type

 

Quite understandable, as there is a Bishop of Dorchester...

[Kieron G]

I was lucky enough to grow up in Dochester, you could get a smaller boat up the Thame as far as the road bridge this is where the river joins back together again after splitting at bucks pool next to the bypass. half goes through the old disused watermill at Overy and the other half goes over a small weir which i think had paddles and was used to control the flow through the mill.

[OldGoat]

Strictly an abbey rather than a cathedral... but given that the Diocese of Oxford doesn't really have a cathedral (an overgrown college chapel where you have to pay to get in doesn't count) I'll agree it ought to be Dorchester Cathedral!

Agreed - it does have a much greater 'presence' than 'Christ Church's college chapel' which is a bit of a muddle (layout-wise). BTW you dont have to pay to get in - just attend a service. If all the seemingly mumbo-jumbo fazes you - just listen to the wonderful music (choral evensong). You won't hear that quality of music anywhere else (other than Oxbridge colleges and Royal Palaces) and you're no obliged to take part.

 

I never understand what makes a Cathedral Church (other than the 'home' of a Bishop) Dorchester's Bishop is a 'junior bishop', so he doesn't qualify for a Cathedral, despite the quality and atmosphere of the building. It's a great performance space and has a good organ - not that it gets many 'plays'.

[Stilllearning]

Is there by any chance more than one river Thame?

[Timleech]

Is there by any chance more than one river Thame?

 

There's more than one river Tame

[Richard Fairhurst]

BTW you dont have to pay to get in - just attend a service. If all the seemingly mumbo-jumbo fazes you - just listen to the wonderful music (choral evensong). You won't hear that quality of music anywhere else (other than Oxbridge colleges and Royal Palaces) and you're no obliged to take part.

 

100% agreed - we go to Evensong in Oxford fairly often, though more often New College than Christ Church: the sound of the New College Choir singing Howells is one of those things that stays with you. It's one of the things I like about being moored in Worcester, too - often we'll just head over to the boat on Saturday and take in Evensong at the Cathedral while we're there.

 

As an organist in a village (well, ok, small town) church I'm slowly introducing Choral Evensong to our services. Don't think we'll be doing Howells any time soon though, sadly...

[GUMPY]

We turned up one morning in the week about 10 years ago, there was a man of the cloth there and he insisted on giving us a tour explaining all about the place and the wall painting. We have never been made to feel more welcome, Excellent place to visit.

[OldGoat]

 

100% agreed - we go to Evensong in Oxford fairly often, though more often New College than Christ Church: the sound of the New College Choir singing Howells is one of those things that stays with you. It's one of the things I like about being moored in Worcester, too - often we'll just head over to the boat on Saturday and take in Evensong at the Cathedral while we're there.

 

As an organist in a village (well, ok, small town) church I'm slowly introducing Choral Evensong to our services. Don't think we'll be doing Howells any time soon though, sadly...

Howells can be daunting for the average church choir - it takes time to work towards such pieces. When you've mastered it, you wonder what the fuss was about! (I was petrified the first time we sung Byrd's '4 part' - but now it trips off the tongue). There's some wonderful music around, shame that so few people make the effort to hear it.

 

Have you tried Merton's Evensong? The new organ has some great stops (it can sound like a Wurlitzer with some registrations - strange). Not unreasonable seeing that it's American....

[David Mack]

Is there by any chance more than one river Thame?

 

You mean so that collectively they would be Thames.

[Bunny]

We usually go to eveningsong at Christchurch

when we are in Oxford . Will take Richards advice and attend New College next time or perhaps Merton .Bunny .

[LEO]

is any of it or has any of it been navigable? I am sure there was a suggestion once of making it passable but perhaps that was in the 90's (1790's that is!). Can one get a canoe up it and if so how far?

 

Hi,

 

There was a plan to connect the Aylesbury Arm with the river Thames using the River Thame which has a large catchment area around Aylesbury..Shame it never came to fruition.

 

L

[Richard Fairhurst]

Howells can be daunting for the average church choir - it takes time to work towards such pieces. When you've mastered it, you wonder what the fuss was about! (I was petrified the first time we sung Byrd's '4 part' - but now it trips off the tongue). There's some wonderful music around, shame that so few people make the effort to hear it.

 

Have you tried Merton's Evensong? The new organ has some great stops (it can sound like a Wurlitzer with some registrations - strange). Not unreasonable seeing that it's American....

 

Not yet - but the organ beams out at me from the front cover of the new OUP hymn settings volumes, reminding me that I really ought to!

 

I have the Priory 21-CD set of evening settings sitting on my shelf. Some really wonderful ones in there - not just the Howells, Stanford and Byrd you'd expect, but some real obscurities. The volume from New York is a revelation, particularly the Searle Wright Magnificat which ends on a lung-busting top B...

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

I would also commend the Easter Morning Service at Ely Cathedral at 5am - we went last year from the boat. A pretty good choir and a fantastic atmosphere.

 

There are some very fine choirs in Cambridge as well ...my favourite Howells is Take him Earth for Cherishing...

[OldGoat]

 

Not yet - but the organ beams out at me from the front cover of the new OUP hymn settings volumes, reminding me that I really ought to!

 

I have the Priory 21-CD set of evening settings sitting on my shelf. Some really wonderful ones in there - not just the Howells, Stanford and Byrd you'd expect, but some real obscurities. The volume from New York is a revelation, particularly the Searle Wright Magnificat which ends on a lung-busting top B...

Oooo - I never knew such stuff existed; I'll have to save up!

I was lucky enough to be allowed to join the choir at Sussex University (they needed outside folks 'cos the students couldn't be bothered) and we had Lazlo Heltay, David Osmon-Smith and James Lloyd Thomas - he an Organ Scholar at Cambridge - so we got a dose of Howells and others. I go on about these things because much of these services, motets and other works are not much heard outside Cathedrals and Universities.

 

It's also heartening to see that others on here like this sort of music as well.

[Neil TNC]

I have got a 33ft narrowboat as far as Dorchester and winded there, its harder in a 60ft but has been done by Neil from TNC.

There used to be 2 cruisers moored at Dorchester not sure if they are still there.

Dorchester is well worth a visit, the best pub is long gone but the Cathedral is sublime.

 

We got just under the bridge, just before the bifrucation...but had to reverse the whole way back.

Frightening to think this was nearly 14 years ago...

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_01/fen36.html

[ditchcrawler]

There was a tree down on the first bend last time we were that way, I always moor under the bridge on the Thames footpath.