Wantage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wantage |
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 Wantage Market Place with its statue of King Alfred the Great, born in Wantage |
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 Wantage
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| Population | 13,106 (2021 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SU3987 |
| • London | 57 miles (92 km) |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wantage |
| Postcode district | OX12 |
| Dialling code | 01235 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Wantage.com Gateway to Wantage |
Wantage (/ˈwɒntɪdʒ/) is a historic market town in England. It is located in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire. Even though it was historically part of Berkshire, it has been part of Oxfordshire since 1974. The town sits by Letcombe Brook. It is about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Abingdon. Wantage is also 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Oxford.
Wantage is famous as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great. He was born here in the year 849.
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History of Wantage
Wantage was once a small Roman settlement. The name "Wantage" likely comes from an old English phrase. It means "decreasing river." King Alfred the Great was born here in the 9th century. Back then, it was called Wanating.
Wantage is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This book was a survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. The town was owned by the king. Later, in 1190, King Richard I gave it to the Earl of Albemarle. Wantage was first allowed to hold weekly markets in 1246. This right was given by King Henry III. Today, markets are still held twice a week. You can find them on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During the English Civil War, soldiers who supported the King stayed in Wantage.
In the 1800s, Lord Wantage became a very important person. He helped found the British Red Cross Society. In 1877, he paid for a marble statue of King Alfred. This statue was made by Count Gleichen. It still stands in Wantage market place today. Lord Wantage also gave the town the Victoria Cross Gallery. This gallery showed paintings of brave acts. These acts earned people the Victoria Cross, which is a very high military award. His own medal from the Crimean War was also shown. This building is now a shopping area.
Wantage is also home to the Community of Saint Mary the Virgin. This group of Anglican nuns was started in 1848. It was once one of the largest groups of Anglican nuns in the world. Wantage used to have two breweries. These were later taken over by Morlands of Abingdon.
How Wantage is Governed
Wantage has three levels of local government. These are the town, district, and county levels. The Wantage Town Council manages local matters. The Vale of White Horse District Council handles district-wide issues. The Oxfordshire County Council looks after county-wide services.
The town council meets at The Beacon on Portway. This building is also used for events. Wantage is part of the Didcot and Wantage area. This area elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to the UK Parliament. The current MP is Olly Glover. He was elected in 2024.
Past Local Government
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Wantage was an old parish in Berkshire. In 1828, a group was formed to manage local services. This group became an urban district in 1894. The urban district grew in 1934 to include Charlton. Its offices were at Orchard House.
In 1974, the Wantage Urban District was ended. Wantage was also moved from Berkshire to Oxfordshire. A new council, the Wantage Town Council, was created. A new Civic Hall was built in 1974. It opened in 1975 and is now called The Beacon.
Geography of Wantage
Wantage is located at the bottom of the Berkshire Downs. This area is known as the Vale of the White Horse. There are places nearby for horse training, called gallops. Some villages close by have racing stables.
Wantage includes areas like Belmont to the west and Charlton to the east. Grove, to the north, is a separate village. The Wantage parish stretches from its houses up onto the Downs in the south. The Letcombe Brook flows through the town.
The Vale and Downland Museum is in Wantage. The town has a large market square. In the center of the square is a statue of King Alfred. Shops with old 18th-century fronts surround the square. The large Church of England parish church is also nearby. Wantage is the "Alfredston" mentioned in Thomas Hardy's book Jude the Obscure.
Transportation in Wantage
Wantage is a meeting point for several roads. These include the A417, A338, B4507, and B4494.
The town has good bus services. You can travel to Oxford and other nearby towns. Stagecoach West runs the S9 service to Oxford. Oxford Bus Company runs the X1 service. Thames Travel has the X35 and X36 services to Didcot. There are also night buses on weekends.
Wantage does not have its own train station. The closest one is Didcot Parkway, about 8 miles (13 km) away. From there, you can catch trains to London, Bristol, and Oxford. The old Wantage Road railway station was closed in 1964.
The Wantage Tramway used to connect Wantage to the Wantage Road station. The old tramway building is still in Mill Street. One of the tramway's old locomotives, named Shannon or Jane, is now at the Didcot Railway Centre. There are plans to open a new train station near Wantage. It would be called Wantage & Grove Parkway.
A part of the Wilts & Berks Canal also runs through the area.
Education in Wantage
Wantage has one state secondary school, King Alfred's Academy. There are also about ten primary schools. King Alfred's Academy became an academy in 2011. It was rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted that same year.
From 1873 to 2006, there was a private girls' school here. It was called St Mary's School. It closed when it joined with another school. Another private school, St Andrew's, closed in 2010.
Fitzwaryn School is in Wantage. It is a special needs school for children aged 3–19. It was rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted in 2014. The school is named after the old lords of Wantage, the FitzWarin family.
In 2013, the Vale Academy Trust was formed. King Alfred's Academy, Charlton Primary School, and Wantage CE Primary School joined together. This trust aims to improve education in the area. More primary schools have joined since then. The trust plans to build a new school in Grove. It would be for children aged two to sixteen. This new school would help with the growing number of houses in Wantage and Grove.
Media in Wantage
Local news and TV shows for Wantage come from BBC South and ITV Meridian. You can get TV signals from the Oxford TV transmitter.
Wantage has local radio stations. These include BBC Radio Oxford on 95.2 FM and Heart South on 102.6 FM.
Local newspapers are the Wantage & Grove Herald and the Oxfordshire Guardian.
Architecture in Wantage
Wantage has had a church since at least the 10th century. The current Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in the 13th century. Many parts have been added since then. This church has seventeen 15th-century misericords, which are carved seats.
King Alfred's Grammar School was designed by J. B. Clacy. It was built in 1849–50. It includes an old Norman doorway from a chapel that used to be in the churchyard. The Old Town Hall in Wantage was finished in 1878.
New Developments in Wantage
Recently, several new housing areas have been built in Wantage. One development, including a new health center, was built on a green field. Other developments have used old industrial sites. For example, a scrapyard was turned into homes.
In 2006, a new shopping area was built. It has a large Sainsbury's supermarket. This supermarket is much bigger than the old one. It was hoped to bring more visitors to the town. A group called Wantage Rejuvenated is working to bring more businesses to the area.
There have been protests about new building plans. In 2011, people campaigned to stop a building near the town center from being torn down. Another big protest was about a plan to build 1,500 homes north of the town. This would increase the number of houses by 35%. Residents were worried about the local roads handling so much extra traffic. The local MP also shared these concerns.
In 2014, Wantage won an award. It was named "Britain's Best Town Centre" in the Government's Great British High Street Award.
Sports and Fun in Wantage
Wantage has a non-League football club called Wantage Town F.C.. They play at Alfredian Park. The Formula One team Williams Grand Prix Engineering is based in nearby Grove.
The Wantage & Grove Cricket Club started playing in 1863. The club now has three teams. They play in Charlton, Wantage.
On September 12, 2014, the Tour of Britain cycling race passed through Wantage. The cyclists came into Wantage on the B4494 road. They left on the A417.
White Horse Harriers AC is an athletics club in Wantage and Grove. They organize the yearly White Horse Half Marathon. This race starts and finishes in Grove.
Corallian Cycling Club was started in 2016. They organize bike rides from Wantage Market Place.
Famous People from Wantage
- King Alfred the Great (c. 848/849 – 899), King of the Anglo-Saxons, was born in Wantage.
- John Betjeman (1906–1984), a famous poet, lived in Wantage. His book Archie and the Strict Baptists is set in the town.
- Joseph Butler (1692–1752), a bishop and writer, was born and went to school in Wantage.
- Alice FitzWarin, wife of Dick Whittington, grew up in Wantage. Dick Whittington was Lord Mayor of London three times.
- Robert Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage (1832–1901), a soldier and helper of Wantage.
- Frances O'Connor (born 1967), an actor, was born in Wantage.
- Lester Piggott (1935–2022), a famous jockey, was born in Wantage.
Sports Figures
- Leigh Bedwell (born 1994), a former goalkeeper for Swindon Town, was born in Wantage.
- Roy Burton (born 1951), a former goalkeeper for Oxford United, was born in Wantage.
- Hugh Johns (1922–2007), a former football commentator, was born in Wantage.
Twin Towns
Wantage is connected with other towns around the world. This is called twinning.
- Mably in France (since 1990)
- Seesen in Germany (since 1979)
Nearby Places
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Faringdon, Carterton, Witney | Grove | Abingdon, Oxford | |
| Swindon |  |
Didcot, Wallingford, London | ||
 Wantage  |
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| Lambourn | Hungerford | Newbury |
See also
In Spanish: Wantage para niños
