Godstow (Oxfordshire, England) is to the west of the River Thames opposite Lower Wolvercote north of Port Meadow at Oxford. It is mainly known for the ruined Godstow Abbey (also known as Godstow Nunnery), which was given to the foundress by John of St John around 1133 and was expanded in 1139 through an additional grant of land.

The abbey was converted into Godstow House by George Owen. It was occupied by his family until 1645, when the building was badly damaged in the Civil War.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the ruined abbey was used for collecting livestock during the annual rounding up of animals on Port Meadow.

In Victorian times, Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) brought Alice Liddell (aka Alice in Wonderland) and her sisters, Edith and Lorina, for river trips and picnics at Godstow.

Also alongside the Thames at Lower Wolvercote and Godstow is The Trout, a well-known public house, close to Godstow Bridge. The bridge was built in 1792.

References

• 'Wolvercote: Site and remains of Godstow abbey', A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12: Wootton Hundred (South) including Woodstock (1990), pp. 311–13.

 

West:	Crossings of the River Thames	East:
A34 Road Bridge	Godstow	Medley Footbridge