Overview

This is the first of 18 reviews we offer you that will highlight so many locations that have been used in various episodes of perhaps one of your favourite TV programmes, which after over 120 episodes, as recorded by May 2022, still holds our attention, so join us as we journey through the beautiful area of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire. We offer full historical facts for you, which adds so much to any review, there are hundreds of photos that will guide you, and we tell you just what episodes were recorded at each venue, this is a MUST READ ADVENTURE for us all, especially for our Midsomer fans. Even if you know you will never be able to actually see these places, please enjoy our reviews alone, you are going to learn such a lot, so let’s get started with part one. SAT NAV DIRECTIONS. OX9 3DP. Thame. Set these directions and try to reach Thame by 9.30 if you would like to one day follow our trip for yourself, but bear in mind, you will need a stop over hotel night to do the full trip, so we have in fact offered two hotels for you to consider, a mid budget Holiday Inn hotel, and a classy 5 star Crowne Plaza hotel. Both are reviewed for your consideration. THAME There is evidence that Iron Age round houses stood in this area, at a time when farming was just beginning in Britain, and long before Stonehenge was built, then findings lead us into the birth of Anglo-Saxon Britain. A Christian church stood at Thame 1400 years ago. It is felt that Bishop Birinus founded a Christian church here shortly after 635 AD. Thame gained its name from the river Thame itself, and records are available that shows our story can begin in 675 AD when the king of Mercia signed a charter showing us that the church existed at this time. The present day church of St Mary dates back to 1240. In the doomsday book of 1086, Thame is shown as belonging to the Bishop of Lincoln. Years later, in the 1100’s the then Bishop created a new town at Thame, where it’s High street becoming a famous open space so that a market could be held here, and given a Royal charter in 1215, with its livestock market, and in time, buildings were created and built of a permanent structure. In Tudor times, a Sir John Williams became Lord of the Manor, and links with Lincoln ended. Now, Baron Williams of Thame founded a grammar school here, founded in 1559, the building itself not completed until 1571, and it can still be seen by Barns centre, while many of the Inns that appeared, date from 1500 and 1600’s, such as The Swan, and Nags Head, and today many old timber framed buildings stand alongside lovely Georgian styles, dating from the 1700’s, which saw the advent of coach travel, and suddenly Victorian buildings appeared on High street, such as the town hall, and these can easily be picked out. Terraced housing soon appeared on East street, and the town expanded in the late 1800’s, and during 1840, a letter delivered to Mr George Wakeman of High street Thame, had the VERY FIRST PENNY BLACK STAMP ISSUED on it. The present Town Hall was built in 1887/88. Now we invite you to join us on our MIDSOMER MURDERS walk around Thame Try to park on High Street as close as you can to the Town Hall (photo 1) The town of Thame itself has been involved in 16 episodes to date, with the very first programme shown on TV on 23rd March 1997, and there has been a series of 25, with well over 120 episodes. As we arrived in Thame, the first building of note was the Thame museum, no photo, and this became the Causton museum in “Secrets and Spies” We then passed Wills and Trust offices, which was a solicitors office in “The Oblong Murder” before we branched off to the left to park our car (photo 1). Opposite the first car on the left, stands Cornell’s estate agents, and they converted this into Causton bookies. The large red brick building in front of the car park has stood on this spot since 1887, but there has been a building here of some sort from 1509. (photo 2) In Midsomer, this is called Causton Town hall, you may remember the episode “Days of misrule” when Joyce is singing carols by the tree, and two other episodes are “Shot at Dawn” and “Maid in Splendour” Walk along the narrow cobbled street to the left, which is Buttermarket (photo 3) and this has been used a number of times in Midsomer such as “Vixens run” “Midsomer life” “Dead in the water” but you may remember it best when a woman is seen kissing Tom Barnaby and is used as a plot in the episode “Picture of Innocense”. (photo 4) the coffee house, is where Tom is sitting to look at his photo of being kissed (photo 5) the shop was then called Zen and Now. Just on the left corner of the junction, stands a three storey building, and this was Quikpix in “Picture of Innocense” and just round the corner to the left you will see Kew Bookbinding, used in “Blood wedding” as a printing shop where Tom has forgotten to pick up the service cards for his daughters wedding, and poor young Jones tries to use a credit card to break into the shop. Standing by the Zebra crossings we are looking at Montesson square (photo 6) used as a panoramic shot in the title for “Picture of Innocense” (photo 7) is the Market house, built in the 1700’s, which over the years has been a bakers shop, an inn, Methodist chapel, and today is the Citizens advice and public toilets (photo 8) which does have a disabled toilet, (but you need a radar key to get inside) so if you need to use toilet you will need to use public toilets (photo 9) On Tuesday, the square is used for Thame market (photo 10) and has a good selection of various stalls, we noticed that the large fruit stall was very popular, with a long queue waiting to be served. On the left of the square you will see Rumseys Chocolaterie, which in Picture of Innocense was Madrigals camera shop, but as Rumseys you can buy a Barnaby Bun. Two doors away stands The Swan hotel, dating back to the 1400’s, but the front was restyled later on to its Georgian face, and is a grade 11 listed building. In “Vixens run” Lucinda and Simon stay here to find clues to Lucinda father’s estate. Next door is the Aga shop, which was Causton chemist where Barnaby has to call in to get tablets for his indigestion. Just a few yards further on and we find 15 Upper High street, where a Lionel Bell is murdered in “”Picture of Innocense”. NOW CROSS OVER to the other side of Market square, ready to walk back towards Market House, and on the corner of the cross roads we find The Black Horse (photo 11). This was the very first episode that Neil Dungeon appeared as DCI Barnaby in “Death in a slow lane” and decides he would like to visit a local Causton pub (photo 12). Just along this road but on the opposite side, you will pass OXFAM bookshop, and in “Vixens run” this became the Cover to Cover bookshop. The shop was also used in the episode “They seek him here” And On that opposite side, at the far end of the row, stands Parker’s estate agents (photo 13) used as the offices for The Causton Gazette in “Last years model” But back on this side, you will pass The Spread Eagle hotel, Which is a grade 11 listed building and dates back to the Georgian period, and you will note the original sign showing the spread eagle crest, and named Moorcroft hotel in “Midsomer life”, but it also featured in “Vixens run” when used for the interior shots of The Swan where Lucinda and Simon were staying, and the old hotel still has the original cobbled stones that horse and carriages ran over to enter the courtyard. Now we have returned to the car park, and need to pick up our car and move on to our next destination, the delightful and beautiful village of CRENDON. We do so hope you enjoyed our introduction to our MIDSOMER MURDER TOUR, and we would appreciate your support for other disabled companions who will we hope read our 18 reviews as well as yourself, and click the “I like” button below, which may just encourage others to read and see this delightful two day tour.

Transport & Parking

There are a number of parking spots around the Town hall, all on the flat, and will help you enjoy this visit

Access

Although on the level for you, there are bumpy spots to watch out for, as the council here have not really maintained the roads as well as disabled could ask for, but you will cope.

Toilets

You will need a radar key to get into it, which can be picked up for £5.00 from the information office, and of course you will then be able to use that radar key at other disabled toilets around the country.

Staff

Photos