Thame | |
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Thame Town Hall, designed H.J. Tollit and built in 1888 |
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Thame shown within Oxfordshire | |
Area | 12.67 km2 (4.89 sq mi) |
Population | 11,561 (parish, with Moreton) (2011 Census) |
• Density | 912/km2 (2,360/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | SP710060 |
• London | 46.5 miles (75 km) |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Thame |
Postcode district | OX9 |
Dialling code | 01844 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Oxfordshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
EU Parliament | South East England |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Thame Town Council |
Thame /teɪm/ is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 9 miles (14 km) east of the city of Oxford and 7 miles (11 km) southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town. The parish includes the hamlet of Moreton south of the town. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 11,561.
Thame was founded in the Anglo-Saxon era and was in the kingdom of Wessex.
Thame Abbey was founded in 1138 for the Cistercian Order: the abbey church was consecrated in 1145. In the 16th century Dissolution of the Monasteries the abbey was suppressed and the church demolished. Thame Park (the house) was built on the site, incorporating parts of the abbey including the early-16th-century abbot's house. Its interior is one of the earliest examples of the Italian Renaissance in England. A Georgian west wing was added in the 18th century. In about 1840 parts of the foundations of the abbey church were excavated: it was 77 yards (70 m) long and 23 yards (21 m) wide, with a Lady Chapel extending a further 15 yards (14 m) at the east end.