South Stoke is a village and civil parish on an east bank of the Thames, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Goring-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It includes less than 1 mile (1.6 km) to its north the hamlet and manor house of Littlestoke (a.k.a. Stoke Marmion).
Manor
In 975 King Edgar granted Osweard land at Stoke, probably later the South Stoke and Offham manors.[citation needed] The manor passed to Eynsham Abbey in 1094.[2] At the time of the Hundred Rolls in 1279, South Stoke had 40 tenants and only three freeholders.[2]Woodcote, 3 miles (5 km) east of South Stoke, had developed as a dependent settlement by 1109.[2] It was followed by Exlade Street by 1241 and Greenmoor by 1366.[2]
51°33′43″N1°08′02″W / 51.562°N 1.134°W / 51.562; -1.134 Littlestoke is a hamlet on the River Thames sometimes seen in texts as Little Stoke.[8] Littlestoke is on the old road that linked Wallingford and ReadingviaGoring Heath. Littlestoke has a manor house, still a farmhouse with a smaller estate than previously, which has three outlying associated barns, listed for their architecture.[9] A ferryman until at least 1920 used to be available to cross the Thames to Cholsey.[8]The Ridgeway path runs past the site of the ferry, however now a minor detour is necessary along the national long-distance footpath to South Stoke itself and then north from Moulsford on the opposite bank. As mentioned the South Stoke ferry is seasonal. Between the two, downstream is Moulsford Railway Bridge.
Public Transport
From 6 June 2012, South Stoke was served by Go Ride bus service number 134 from Wallingford to Goring-on-Thames. Following the decision by Oxfordshire County Council to axe all bus service subsidies in July 2016, Go Ride ceased operating bus services in Oxfordshire in January 2017, and the service was taken over by a new Community Interest Company Going Forward Buses, based in Goring.
