Letcombe Regis

Letcombe Regis is prettily situated on the ege of the Berkshire Downs in the valley of the Letcombe Brook, which rises at nearby Letcombe Bassett.

Approaching the village from Wantage the road falls slightly as you approach the village. In the village you are rewarded by the several attractive thatched cottages and other interesting buildings and in the spring the verges are pretty with snowdrops and daffodils.

The village was first recorded as 'Regis' in the reign of Richard II, but long before it had been a Royal manor of the kings of Wessex. The village now has two manors. The Old Manor being the original manor house. The second manor house, Antwicks Manor is believed to be on the site of a royal hunting lodge. It was substantially rebuilt at the end of the 19th century although parts of it date from around 1780. A third, more recent, manor house once stood where there are now reirement homes.

The centre of the village is dominated by St Andrew's church which stands on a mound near where the two streams meet. Parts of the church date from the 12th century. An interesting obelisk in the churchyard records the death of a Maori chief who came to England to train as a Christian minister and died here of tuberculosis when he was 19 years old.

About a mile to the south of the village, high on the downs along the Hungerford road, is a convenient hostel for Ridgeway walkers. This is also open all day for light refreshments and provides an alternative to the Greyhound pub in the village. Nearby is the Ridgeway hill fort, Letcombe Castle, also known as Segsbury Camp.

Letcombe Regis is about a mile and a half south-west of Wantage.