Eye and Dunsden is a largely rural civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the most southern part of English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

.

It includes the villages of Sonning Eye

Sonning Eye

Sonning Eye is a hamlet on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, in the civil parish of Eye & Dunsden, at the very southernmost tip of Oxfordshire.- Overview :...

, Dunsden Green

Dunsden Green

Dunsden Green or Dunsden is a village in the civil parish of Eye & Dunsden in South Oxfordshire, about northeast ofReading, Berkshire. Before 1866, it was part of the Oxfordshire section of Sonning civil parish.-History:...

 and Playhatch

Playhatch

Playhatch is a hamlet in the civil parish of Eye & Dunsden in South Oxfordshire, England, about northeast of Reading, Berkshire.-Overview:Before 1866, Playhatch formed part of the Oxfordshire section of Sonning civil parish....

 and borders on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 with the village of Sonning

Sonning

Sonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K...

 in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 connected via Sonning Bridge

Sonning Bridge

Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge...

 just over the river to the south. Before 1866, Eye & Dunsden was part of the trans-county parish of Sonning.

To the west, it abuts the growing Berkshire town of Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

. To the east lies the Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

 parish of Shiplake

Shiplake

Shiplake is a village and civil parish about south of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames.-History:The Church of England parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul dates from at least the 13th century, but in 1869 the Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street rebuilt the chancel,...

. Sonning Common

Sonning Common

Sonning Common is a village and civil parish the Chiltern Hills west of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is on the B481 road between Reading, Berkshire to the south and Nettlebed to the north.-History:...

 and the relatively newly created parish of Binfield Heath

Binfield Heath

Binfield Heath is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about southwest of Henley-on-Thames and about northeast of Reading, Berkshire.Until 2003, Binfield Heath and the hamlet of Crowsley were part of the civil parish of Shiplake....

 lie to the north.

Caversham Lakes

Caversham Lakes

Caversham Lakes is a set of lakes created through gravel extraction between the suburb of Caversham in Reading, Berkshire and the hamlet of Sonning Eye in Oxfordshire, just north of the River Thames.- Overview :...

, including the Thames and Kennet Marina, Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake

Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake

The Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake is a rowing lake in the United Kingdom, named after the Olympic rowers Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. The lake and its boathouse are specifically designed for training use, and will provide training, medical, and scientific facities for the GB rowing...

, Reading Sailing Club, Isis Water Ski Club, and Sonning Works

Sonning Works

The Sonning Works are a gravel works owned by Lafarge, located near Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, England.- Overview :The gravel works is positioned on the south side of the B478 Playhatch Road between Playhatch to the west and Sonning Eye on the River Thames to the east...

, are all on the Thames flood plain within the parish. Berry Brook

Berry Brook

The Berry Brook is a stream close to Sonning Eye in the flood plain of the River Thames, in southern Oxfordshire, England.The stream flows northeast from close to the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake, parallel with the A4155 Henley Road ourt of Caversham, Reading towards Henley-on-Thames. It flows...

 starts close to the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake to the southwest, running northeast through the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 floodplain past Playhatch, under the B478 Playhatch Road near the Sonning Works

Sonning Works

The Sonning Works are a gravel works owned by Lafarge, located near Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, England.- Overview :The gravel works is positioned on the south side of the B478 Playhatch Road between Playhatch to the west and Sonning Eye on the River Thames to the east...

, before joining the river at Hallsmead Ait

Hallsmead Ait

Hallsmead Ait is an island in the River Thames in Berkshire, England. It is on the reach above Shiplake Lock near Lower Shiplake.The island is large and triangular shaped, forming a pair with The Lynch, a similar shaped island. It is uninhabited and covered with a wide variety of trees...

. Eye & Dunsden also includes attractively wooded parts of the Chiltern Hills

Chiltern Hills

The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...

and rolling farmland.

External links

• Eye & Dunsden Parish Council