Villagers Push For Posh Name Change

Old Father Thames may be some 200 yards from the picturesque village of Appleford,and you can barely hear the murmer of the waters.

But that's being shrugged aside by the villagers,who want "on-Thames" added to Appleford's name because it gives a more exclusive feel to the place.

They reckon Appleford-on-Thames sounds more classy and will give them more cachet among their friends - as well as adding to the value of their homes.

But residents were quick to deny today that there's anything snobbish about what they are doing.

Some locals are indifferent or even opposed to the name change,and want to stick with plain old Appleford.

But after the idea was put at the annual parish meeting,the "on-Thames" addition gained the support of the parish council.

The 362 residents are now waiting to see if the Vale of White Horse District Council will formally approve the change.

Patrick Loughlin,who runs the village's only pub,said he liked the idea of Appleford-on-Thames.

"It sounds a bit posh - it might help my meals trade" he said.

Parish councillor and church historian Gervase Duffield said "A villager perusing their old deeds and poring over old maps of Appleford discovered that it was 'Appleford-on-Thames' in the l9th century.

"That is where the idea came from and a lot of local people were quite keen on the idea.

"Some liked it on historical grounds,others felt it would stop confusion with nearby Appleton and some just liked the sound of it.

"I had no real feeling on the matter,but as a councillor I was happy to go along with it."

Richard Pickford,who works for a firm of estate agents in nearby Didcot,Oxon,agreed there was a premium to be paid for riverside properties and "Appleford-on-Thames" as an address might attract more interest from prospective purchasers.

But people actually viewing homes "could be a bit disappointed" as far as the riverside connection goes,because most Appleford houses are a considerable distance from the water.

One man who doesn't like the idea is Peter Deabill,a gardener-handyman at Appleford Meadows,a house where the grounds actually go down to the river.

Peter,a former parish councillor who has lived in the village for 15 years,said "Some people believe 'Appleford-on-Thames' would look better as a postal address,and I imagine estate agents might stick a few bob on the price of property with an '-on-Thames' address.

"But personally,I don't see any reason to change the name.It's been good enough for us all this time - why does it have to change now?"

He was not the only resident to point out that no other village in the Vale of White Horse was termed "-on-Thames".

Abingdon has long since dropped "-on-Thames" in favour of plain and simple Abingdon.

Peter said "Unlike Dorchester-on-Thames and Henley-on-Thames,Appleford is hardly a major tourist attraction,although the river was popular with walkers.

And local farmer's wife Mary-Jane Gale insists she will stick to plain and simple "Appleford" come what may.She declared "I won't be writing "Appleford-on-Thames" for anyone."