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CULHAM
Just off the Green is the church, St. Paul's, and the Manor House. St.Paul's Church is a Victorian church built on the site of a former mediaeval church. For the history and full information about St Paul's Church click here. The village was at one time important for the Thames barges carrying stone from the dissolved Abbey of Abingdon and there was wharfage here where the stone was loaded onto barges for transportation to London. The wharf and the remains of the lock can still be seen as well as the assembly pool for barges that lay near it. These were in the ditch now known as Back Water, but then known as Swift Ditch. Swift Ditch was at the time the main navigation channel until 1790 when it was abandoned in favour of the main channel through Abingdon. Where the road from the village meets the main road the old Culham Bridge still stands spanning the now insignificant Back Water. The old bridge is built across the site of the ancient ford known as Culham Hyth. At the other end of the village near Sutton Bridge is Culham Lock, situated in the Culham Cut which was constructed in 1809. Outside the village to the north of the main road are the research establishments for which Culham is, perhaps, more well known. Culham Science Centre is home to JET, the Joint European Torus, the world's largest conventional tokamak (fusion reactor) and is also home to over 45 commercial businesses from start-ups to major international organisations. Culham Science Centre is also home to the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. Culham is also home to the Europa School UK, the successor to the European School which closed in 2017. Europa School UK is a 'free school' and an Accredited European School with all students following a learning programme leading to the European Baccalaureate qualification. Near the research establishments stand Culham Station and The Railway Inn, now a tandoori restaurant. Culham is about a mile and a half south of Abingdon just off the main Abingdon to Dorchester road, the A415. |
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