Nuneham House
Private road to Culham Station
Map published by Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1900
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
This route to the London trains via Culham station was thought by some to have fallen into disuse when Radley station was opened in 1873, even though that alternative would have involved the use of the river ferry which operated near the Radley boathouse until the mid 1940s. However as can be seen on the 'Press reports' page, articles appeared in the Local and National Press up until at least 1931 showing continued use of the land route to Culham. Possibly the ferry route could have been favoured by smaller groups of travellers and the land one by large groups or those being conveyed by carriage or motor car.
The map is a composite of extracts from two sheets published by the Ordnance Survey Office in 1900 and shows the Nuneham Estate, together with Culham and Radley stations. An estate road can be seen to wind Southwards from Nuneham House to Abingdon Lodge which is marked on the map. From there, the road goes straight down towards the station at Culham, first crossing Thame Lane before finally turning towards the station forecourt. The distance from the House to the edge of the Estate being about twice that from the gatehouse to the station. Following a revision in 1910 this map was republished in 1913 and shows the whole length of this road to be lined with trees.
An estate road can also be seen heading northward from the House before turning sharply west and down to the bank of the River Thames. A ferry is marked, and the route can be traced continuing west to Radley station. Interestingly, an earlier map based on an 1875 survey and published in 1883 does not show the ferry nor either road linking it to Radley or the estate. It is understood that a ferry existed here linking Lower Radley with the original Newnham village which was situated on the slope leading down to the river as early as the eleventh century. However, it may have ceased operating when the old village was demolished in the early 1700s, being reinstated when Radley Station was opened. In The Abingdon Branch by Nigel Trippett & Nicholas de Courtais, first published by Wild Swan Publications in 1985, it is suggested that Lord Harcourt fell foul of the railway authorities at Culham station over the parking of his carriage there and so financed the ferry and footpath to Radley station.
Abingdon Lodge
The Abingdon Lodge, sometimes called Culham Lodge, formed an impressive southern entrance to Nuneham Park. This view taken by Henry Taunt in 1906 shows a very well kept scene with mature trees flanking the gatehouse. Just visible within the arched gateway is a lady, possibly from the lodge, who lends an idea of scale. We originally thought that the building formed a single dwelling, but we have been told that there were in fact two houses, one on each side of the gateway. This entrance would have seen many and varied visitors over the years including Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, and other dignitaries and politicians of the time either going to or from Culham station. Many fêtes and gatherings were held in the Park just inside the gate and the road would then have been thronged with thousands of people.
Despite the development and later closure of RNAS Culham, the gatehouse managed to survive in splendid isolation for some years before finally being demolished. We are grateful to Martin Loach for taking his camera whilst exploring the area sometime in the early 1970s as he managed to capture this unique image of the gatehouse shortly before its demolition. Gone are the trees and all trace of the estate road with an overhead power line and mast now dominating the scene.
H.W.Taunt, PictureOxon POX0115971
Photograph © Martin Loach
Photograph by Major G.W.G.Allen circa 1930
Courtesy of Jaqi Mason
This undated aerial photograph was taken in the early 1930s by Major G.W.G.Allen who had his own landing ground close to the station at Culham. Shown here is a portion of the larger original image and it includes, at the bottom right, part of the field from which he flew and kept his plane. Comparing the image with the map above one can see the main Abingdon road across the bottom with Culham Station visible at the bottom left. The railway line can be seen snaking its way up to the bridge over the Thames through a cutting then on towards Radley and Oxford beyond. Going diagonally bottom left towards the top right is the tree-lined estate road which linked the station with Nuneham Park. Going across the centre is Thame Lane. The boundary of Nuneham Park is defined by the treeline at the end of the estate road and Abingdon Lodge can just be made out. The parkland beyond at the top right is where the various fêtes would have been held.
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Imagery ©DigitalGlobe, Getmapping plc,
Infoterra Ltd&Bluesky, The Geoinformation Group
Map data ©Google.co.uk
Perhaps surprisingly, not quite all traces of the estate road were eradicated. This satellite view of the station in 2014 shows a curving avenue of trees just inside Culham No.1 Site which follows the curve of the estate road shown on the map above, leading towards the station. At ground level it is a bit harder to appreciate that the trees form a curving avenue, but closer exploration confirms that they very clearly do as the photographs below show.
These two photographs were taken in 2017. The first looks southwards towards the station and the route can still be seen with some surfaced road and then what had become a grassy area before stopping at a wire fence immediately adjacent to Station House.
The second photograph was taken from the fence looking back over the grass before the paved area starts with the viewer ready to proceed up towards Nuneham House. It is fun to imagine it being thronged by the crowds of visitors making their way to and from the Park when attending one of the fêtes held there many years ago. Read more about the fêtes and other comings and goings on the press reports page.
Courtesy of Sasha Berenzina
This third photograph was taken in April 2025 by Sasha Berenzina and shows the remaining short length of roadway which was resurfaced in 2023. A combined cycle/footpath was laid to a new pedestrian gate to provide direct access between Culham Campus and the station. Lighting and small bus shelter with turning circle were also installed with the eventual aim to provide an autonomous bus service for Campus staff commuting by train.
The roof of the ticket office can just be seen in the centre distance with the waiting shelter on platform 2 visible to the right. The newly laid road finishes just beyond the bus shelter, but would have originally continued straight on to a wide gate opening onto the station forecourt, whereas the cycle/footway curves off to the right behind the far tree to the metal gate at the end of the tall hedge.
Courtesy of Sasha Berenzina
This final photograph was again taken in April 2025 by Sasha Berenzina whilst walking along Thame Lane, which now follows the outer boundary of Culham Campus along the old airbase perimeter track. At its most northerly point, and looking towards the north along the track beyond this gate, one can see where Abingdon Lodge probably stood at the top of the rise. The area is not open to the public but the line of the estate road into Nuneham Park can be clearly seen on satellite maps.
