Since Celtic times, Goring has marked a major crossing of the River Thames. The Village lies at the foot of the Chilterns in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and faces another, the Wessex Downs, across the river. Situated in the centre of the Goring Gap, it was colonised by the Romans, then Saxons, and finally the Normans who built three manors and founded the parish church. The original church tower survives, but the remainder has been rebuilt and extended. After the 12th century, part of the church was walled off for a time for use by the occupants of a small Augustinian nunnery founded alongside. The churchyard has some interesting monuments.
Once the river was bridged, followed by the arrival of the railway in 1840, the village developed as a residential area, culminating in grand Victorian and Edwardian houses set in spacious gardens along tree lined avenues. Much of Goring's character derives from this time, and although few of these houses survive, the village has retained a parkland 'feel'. Oscar Wilde lived here for a spell; thus we find Lady Bracknell and Lord Goring in his plays.
Goring residents, many of them commuters, appreciate its good road and rail links in all directions, as well as its shops and services. Summer visitors come by car and boat to watch the activity around the lock or to enjoy the walks along the riverbank or on National Trust land above the valley. Two National Trails, the Ridgeway Path and the Thames Path, meet here, attracting walkers throughout the year.
