The town of Wallingford is truly in a lucky place indeed. It rests in the county of Oxfordshire, known to be one of the most beautiful and prosperous counties in the entire United Kingdom. Furthermore, Wallingford lies alongside the undeniably important River Thames. Few rivers in the world are as famous, pivotal, and beloved as the Thames and it is little wonder that Wallingford is such a charming and esteemed city given its stellar pedigree.
One of the most cherished aspects of Wallingford is its classic and antiquated appearance. Nearly everywhere you look in town there is an example of architecture from days long past and the vast proliferation of these different styles spread all around helps to make Wallingford seem like a town that is timeless yet exists in every time. It really is rather remarkable. Amid modern amenities like restaurants and signs one can an incredible stone bridge that dates back to Wallingford's medieval days. This nine hundred foot long bridge looks truly stunning as it crosses the river with ease and it creates a fascinating juxtaposition amid the other relics from countless different dates. If you head down to the center of Wallingford you'll lay eyes on the classic market square that still evokes the market town feeling that once permeated nearly every city in England. The town hall still looks much like it must have in the 1600s and this is a jarring sight amid the other parts of the market square that are from wildly different eras. There are many houses built in such different architectural styles as Georgian and Victorian and there are also countless inns that were themselves homes to members of the aristocracy hundreds of years ago. There are also three different churches that date back to ancient times and, with such a wide array of amazing relics, it is little wonder that countless people flock to Wallingford to lay eyes on what can only be described as a living, breathing history book.
Sadly, there is one edifice that is no longer standing in all of its former glory in Wallingford. This would be none other than the once famous Wallingford Castle. The Castle dates back to the 11th century and it played a large part locally in the English Civil War among other battles and skirmishes. There were many times that opposing armies tried to destroy Wallingford Castle but most failed miserably against the mighty stronghold. It wasn't until the 1300s that Wallingford Castle finally started to wane in importance and it wasn't a battle that destroyed it but a plague: Namely, the Black Plague. Wallingford wasn't immune to the immense destruction of the plague and after that point the Castle began to fall into disrepair. After the Civil War it was Oliver Cromwell who ordered the final stages of the destruction of the Castle and, as such, visitors to Wallingford today will see little more than crumbling remains of what was once a proud and noble fort. Though it hurts to know we'll never see the Castle as it once stood, we can still take quite a bit of solace in knowing that the vast majority of the gorgeous architecture that was built throughout Wallingford's history still stands proudly for all to see.
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