Fawley Hill Railway

St Mary the Virgin's Church is in centre of the village of Fawley, Buckinghamshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church on the deanery of Wycombe, the archdeaconry of Buckingham, and the diocese of Oxford. Its benefice has been united with those of five other local churches to form the benefice of Hambleden Valley. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

Fawley is a village and civil parish in Wycombe district in the south-western corner of Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the boundary between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, about seven miles west of Great Marlow and north of Henley-on-Thames. The village toponym is derived from the Old English for "fallow-coloured woodland clearing". It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Falelie. There are two other places in England called Fawley. Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke, a prominent Member of Parliament in Cromwell's day, was from Fawley. In 1642 he allowed soldiers fighting in the English Civil War to stay at the manor house in Fawley, known as Fawley Court but they were quite raucous in their behaviour and destroyed the contents of the house. In 1684 the house was redesigned, following a design by Sir Christopher Wren. The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin was rebuilt in 1748. It has a Tree of Life stained glass window designed by the artist John Piper (who lived nearby in Fawley Bottom) and Patrick Reyntiens.

Henley Park is a country house and landscape garden in Bix and Assendon civil parish in the Chiltern Hills of South Oxfordshire, England. The house is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Henley-on-Thames. The park adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The park was created in the 13th century as the medieval deer park of the Fawley Court Estate. In 1300 it became part of the manor of Henley.Henley Park house is in a small park north of the Fair Mile that leads north-north-west from Henley. It was the dower house to Fawley Court. In the Georgian era the park was converted into a landscape garden with "beautiful inclosures descending in natural waving slopes from the house."George III was a friend of Mrs. Freeman, widow of Sambrooke Freeman, and visited her here. The visit was somewhat embarrassing for Mrs. Freeman who was unwell at the time and so had to let the royal party explore the house on their own as described in the diary of Mrs. Caroline Girle Powys, wife of Philip Lybbe Powys.

Fawley Bottom is a small village in south Buckinghamshire, England, north of Henley-on-Thames. It is in the civil parish of Fawley. The artist John Piper and his wife, the librettist Myfanwy Piper, were notable long-term residents of Fawley Bottom Farmhouse in the 20th century, from the mid-1930s for the rest of their lives in the 1990s.

Fawley Court is a country house, with large mixed-use grounds standing on the west bank of the River Thames at Fawley in the English county of Buckinghamshire. Its former deer park extended east into the Henley Park area of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire that abuts it to the south. Following World War II, it was run as Divine Mercy College by the Polish Congregation of Marian Fathers, with its associated library, museum and was one of the cultural centres for the Polish minority in the United Kingdom until its closure and sale in 2009. It is listed at Grade I for its architecture.

Lower Assendon is a village in the Assendon valley in the Chiltern Hills, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire, England. The road between Henley and Wallingford passes the village. It was made into a turnpike in 1736 and ceased to be a turnpike in 1873. It is now classified the A4130. The village has a public house, The Golden Ball, that is now a gastropub. Henley Park is just east of the village. It was a medieval deer park and in 1300 became part of the manor of Henley. In the Georgian era the park was converted into a landscape garden with "beautiful inclosures descending in natural waving slopes from the house." Fairmile Cemetery, on a hillside southwest of the village, belongs to Henley Town Council.

Temple Island Meadows is a 14.1-hectare (35-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the Buckinghamshire bank of the River Thames. It is north of Henley-on-Thames and opposite Temple Island, an island in the Thames.The site is composed of several wet meadows, which are grazed by sheep. They are seasonally flooded and waterlogged and have a diverse flora and fauna. Plants include the nationally rare summer snowflake and marsh and early marsh orchids, which are found in locations with a long history of undisturbed grassland management. There are invertebrates such as the endangered marsh fly Dicheptophora findlandica and the rare dragonfly Gomphus vulgatissimus. There are also areas of wet woodland, and the diverse habitats attract a variety of breeding birds.A riverside footpath crosses the site.

At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, nine events in sprint canoe racing were contested. For the first time, a women's event was part of the Olympic program.

At the 1908 Summer Olympics, four rowing events were contested, all for men only. Races were held at Henley-on-Thames. The competitions were held from 28 to 31 July. There was one fewer event in 1908 than 1904, after the double sculls was dropped from the programme. Hungary and Norway competed in rowing for the first time, along with six other nations.

Rowing at the 1948 Summer Olympics featured seven events, for men only. Competitions were held over the Henley Royal Regatta course from 5 to 9 August.

Temple Island is an eyot (being a small riverine island) in the River Thames in England just north (downstream) of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The island is on the reach above Hambleden Lock between the Buckinghamshire and Berkshire banks, and is part of Remenham in Berkshire. The main significance of the island is that it lies at the start of the course for Henley Royal Regatta.

Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the three other regattas rowed over approximately the same course, Henley Women's Regatta, Henley Masters Regatta, and Henley Town and Visitors' Regatta, each of which is an entirely separate event. The regatta lasts for six days (Tuesday to Sunday) ending on the first weekend in July. Races are head-to-head knock out competitions, raced over a course of 1 mile 550 yards (2,112 m). The regatta regularly attracts international crews to race. The most prestigious event at the regatta is the Grand Challenge Cup for Men's Eights, which has been awarded since the regatta was first staged.As the regatta pre-dates any national or international rowing organisation, it has its own rules and organisation, although it is recognised by both British Rowing (the governing body of rowing in England and Wales) and FISA (the International Federation of Rowing Associations). The regatta is organised by a self-perpetuating body of Stewards, who are largely former rowers themselves. One exception to this rule is that the Mayor of Henley-on Thames Council is an ex-officio Steward. Pierre de Coubertin modelled elements of the organisation of the International Olympic Committee on the Henley Stewards.The regatta is regarded as part of the English social season. As with other events in the season, certain enclosures at the regatta have strict dress codes.