Hidden Henley

There is an appendage on the side of the Old Speakers House in Hart Street which I have featured before when I used to submit these to the local newspaper, and which on closer examination is not a buttress for reinforcing and supporting the building. There’s another between an estate agent and a cafe in Bell Street.

Some say that the purpose of these was to minimise urinating in the street. With all the pubs in the area, this was a problem in the past and the sloping wall discourages such activity and avoids a useful corner where the late night drinker could tuck himself out of sight.

Curved and spiked railings at the four corners of the approaches to Henley bridge may have had a similar objective. However, others speculate that these were all intended to lessen the chance of cattle tucking themselves into a corner when there was a cattle drive through the town years ago. My late Uncle Arthur Wheeler, the Hambleden butcher, was confident that these were added to make such cattle drives slightly easier.

Does anyone know for certain what the purpose of these curiosities was, or will it remain a point of discussion?