Welcome to the Wantage edition of The Oxford Magazine.

This historic market town that was historically part of Berkshire, Wantage is a very sociable place to be on Friday and Saturday evenings in summer, when its many pubs and restaurants around the market are particularly animated.

The most famous son of Wantage has to be King Alfred the Great who was born here in 849 and ruled the Kingdom of Wessex until 899. There’s a statue of him in the middle of the market place, sculpted by Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a cousin of Queen Victoria.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days, and you should also browse the Vale and Downland Museum, in a 17th-century clothmaker’s house. And should you happen to around in December, the incredible Dickensian Evening is not to be missed.