Andrew Ffrench soaks up the beauty of a Saxon town with its head firmly in the 21st century.

Historic market town Wallingford is proud of its past and its appearance has not altered a great deal since Victorian times.

But its 8,000 residents are gradually adjusting to the 21st century and preparing for new developments. About 550 homes are to be built at Slade End Farm, off Wantage Road, and new homes have also been built at the former Fairmile Hospital site in Cholsey.

Building work has also started on 130 new homes in Moreton Avenue on the Hithercroft estate on the site of a former Habitat warehouse.

New homes in the area are often contentious but so too is a proposal for a gravel pit on land between Wallingford and Cholsey.

Residents celebrated in February last year when a new county council minerals strategy did not name
Wallingford and Cholsey as locations for extraction, because less gravel than expected was needed for housebuilding.

But the council then updated its strategy to estimate that one million tonnes would need to be extracted over the next 15 years, instead of 715,000 tonnes.

Now Grundon Waste Management, based in Benson, has bought a 165- acre plot of land at New Barn Farm, west of Wallingford Road, for £2.1m, with a view to extracting gravel there. It emerged in November that the land had been sold by the Bosely Trust, but now Grundon has come forward to confirm it was the organisation which bought it.

Residents and councillors insist they will continue to fight the proposals, claiming it could damage the town’s tourist appeal.

The gravel extraction site is close to a trail honouring the crime writer Agatha Christie who lived at Winterbrook House in Cholsey for many years and is buried in the village churchyard. Digging gravel could also damage the Cholsey and Wallingford railway line, say campaigners.

It is understandable that civic leaders want to protect the area’s heritage as it is one of its best assets.

The Saxon King Alfred built Wallingford as a defence against the Viking raiders and since the ninth century the street layout has hardly changed. Wallingford Castle was once a stronghold for the English monarchy, but the castle was demolished on the order of Oliver Cromwell in 1646, following a siege.

Judy Dewey, curator at Wallingford Museum, has in-depth knowledge on the history of the town and the museum is a useful starting point for residents and visitors who want to find out more.

John Cotton, the new leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, is now the cabinet member for Wallingford and said he would like to see a new Morrisons store in the town.

The supermarket chain has been given planning permission for a new store on the Hithercroft industrial estate but so far building work has not yet started.

Wallingford Town Council was one of a number of local authorities to offer support to SODC when an arsonist set fire to its headquarters in neighbouring Crowmarsh Gifford forcing staff to move out.

Wallingford Market Place is ideal for hosting community events like the annual pancake race or a visit from personnel from helicopter base RAF Benson.

What the town does as well as any other in Oxfordshire is hosting festivals and events to bring people into the town.

These include the annual Bunkfest, an autumn beer and music festival on the Kinecroft, a beautiful green space in the heart of the town.

Folk music fans come from far and wide and the town also offers an annual blues festival and Rugfest. Shoppers do not yet have a Morrisons, to compete with Waitrose, but they can still rely on Pettits, the department store which is undergoing refurbishment.

And families know they can rely on Wallingford School, where headteacher Wyll Willis continues to encourage pupils to gain outstanding results.

Change is coming gradually to Wallingford but tradition is very important and residents will not be rushed.

Parking remains a key issue and space for an extra car park in the  town centre is still being sought.