Wantage

Perhaps not that glamorous in the global scheme of things, but remembered fondly as the nearest town to where I spent my formative years. It is strange how you take familiar things for granted; I daily passed by some beautiful houses and a 12th century church and it was only when they started to demolish the neo-Gothic "Gods" of King Alfred's School, that I understood what Betjeman had been campaigning about. Legend has it that this is where King Alfred burnt the cakes and there even used to be a tea shop called King Alfred's Kitchen, now a Thai restaurant. Amongst his many legacies, education and law. Not bad for a day's work. I would like to think that the school I attended was founded by him, there are certainly remnants of a school building dating from that period, though inconveniently it is located under the adjacent primary school.

Wantage Images	King Alfred's School	St Mary's Church