Located on the borders of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, approximately three miles from Henley-on-Thames, Shiplake is a charming village comprising several settlements, each with its own character and strong sense of community.
Lower Shiplake is home to the village store and post office along with a family butcher. In the older part, Shiplake and Shiplake Cross, you’ll find the historic church of St Peter and St Paul, Shiplake College and the Memorial Hall which hosts a range of clubs and classes
If you’re dining out locally, the award-winning Orwell’s Restaurant is located on the outskirts of the village in Binfield Heath or there’s the Baskerville Arms in Lower Shiplake which serves delicious meals in the cosy inn or country-style garden. The former Plowden Arms is also an excellent option, dating from 1749 which, following refurbishment has been renamed The Plough. For an even wider choice of places to dine out, less than 10 minutes’ drive away and here you’ll find restaurants in Henley on Thames catering for every taste from the Italian cuisine at popular chains such as Piccolino, Pizza Express, Zizzi to Indian, Thai and French cuisine. For a unique dining experience, head to the Mill at Sonning Theatre, the UK’s only dinner theatre.
The Bell Surgery and The Hart Surgery are within a couple of miles of Shiplake – next door to each other and close to Townlands Community Hospital in Henley. Sonning Common Health Centre also welcomes patients from Shiplake.
Educational facilities in and around Shiplake are excellent. Shiplake’s Primary School, with a nursery on site, was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted whilst the nearest secondary school, Gillotts in Henley achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating.
Shiplake College, an independent day and boarding school has an excellent reputation but there’s plenty of choice of independents. Rupert House in Henley is a happy, high achieving independent school for 3- to 11-year-olds.
Queen Anne’s School, Caversham is a boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 19. The Abbey School, just south of Reading town centre, has a nursery as well as junior and senior schools and attracts girls from all over the south of England. The Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning-on-Thames has been achieving excellent results since 1646.
Shiplake offers an impressive range of sports clubs and classes – you’ll find Pilates, yoga, tennis, badminton, bridge, art, books and local history clubs and classes locally as a well as a community choir and a branch of the Women’s Institute.
Riverside living brings water sports opportunities including fishing, sailing and rowing – and the annual Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta celebrates traditional boating with races for all ages.
Golf enthusiasts have a choice of excellent local courses with Hennerton Golf Club in Wargrave and Henley Golf Club and Badgemore Park Golf Club within easy reach.
For younger residents, Shiplake Football Club, with close ties to Reading FC, has under-14 and under-16 teams. Shiplake College offers summer activities including rowing camps, art camps and multi-sports camps. There’s junior coaching at the tennis club, provision for the over 12s at the Vikings Rowing Club and the village has an active Scout group.
There are some beautiful walks in and around Shiplake.
The Thames Path runs through the village and there’s a network of well-marked footpaths in the countryside. Both the Chiltern Way and the Ridgeway are within easy reach. Explore Shiplake Lock on the River Thames or follow the circular pathway to Sonning which takes in fields, woodland and riverside paths, Sonning Village and the popular Coppa Club Bar & Restaurant.
At Warburg Nature Reserve, high in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you’ll find flower-rich grasslands, woodland and an abundance of wildlife.
For an evening out, The Mill at Sonning is a delightful venue with a theatre and restaurant set within a converted flour mill on an island in the Thames.
There’s also the Kenton Theatre in Henley – and the town’s Regal Picturehouse – a small and cosy local cinema showing the latest movies.
Throughout the year, there are so many events and exhibitions to attend – and all within easy reach of Shiplake. Shiplake holds an annual Arts & Crafts Exhibition in early May as part of the Shiplake Arts Trail and Binfield Heath Flower & Dog Show is always well attended.
Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta is held each year, with 330 events over the two-day programme and, of course, Henley is home to the Henley Royal Regatta as well as to the Henley Festival, the Henley Rewind Festival, The Henley Jazz & Blues Week, the Henley Show and the Henley Living Advent Calendar.
Shiplake and the surrounding towns and villages have access to a range of excellent state and private schools.
With a nursery, a state primary school and Shiplake College, a renowned, independent, day and boarding school, the village is a particularly attractive destination for families.
Find out more about why Shiplake is an excellent option for families by clicking the link below.
Shiplake station lies on the line from Henley to Twyford and trains run every 30 minutes during the day.
For trains to and from London Paddington and Reading, it’s easy to change at Twyford with a journey time from Shiplake to London Paddington of approximately 45 minutes. Nearby Reading has an excellent commuter rail service into London Paddington and the Crossrail service from Reading to London means its possible to travel east from Reading all the way to Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington mainline station.
The regular bus services passing through Shiplake include the 800 Arriva bus between Reading and High Wycombe and Thames Travel’s X38 hourly service between Reading and Oxford. There’s also the Henley HandyBus, an 11-seater minibus which helps people in the Henley area get out and about to meet friends and go shopping locally and, twice a month, to Reading.
Shiplake is located on the A4155 Henley to Reading road with easy access to the M4 motorway (8 km away), the M40 (13 km) and the M25 (27 km). Heathrow airport is only 28 km west of Shiplake.
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