Wallingford is a historic market town and also civil parish located to the south of Oxford on the River Thames in England. Historically situated in the county of Berkshire, it was moved to Oxfordshire for the objectives of management in 1974. Wallingford is located 12 miles (19 km) north of Reading, 13 miles (21 kilometres) south of Oxford and also 11 miles (18 kilometres) north west of Henley-on-Thames. The community's population was 11,600 in the 2011 census. The community has actually played an important function in English history starting with the surrender of Stigand to William the Conqueror in 1066, which resulted in his taking the throne as well as the creation of Wallingford Castle. The castle and also the town enjoyed imperial condition as well as thrived for much of the Middle Ages. The Treaty of Wallingford, which finished a civil war referred to as The Anarchy between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, was signed there. The town after that went into a duration of decline after the arrival of the Black Death as well as falling out of favour with the Tudor monarchs before being gotten in touch with once more throughout the English Civil War. Wallingford held up as the last remaining Royalist stronghold in Berkshire before giving up after a 16-week siege. Fearing that Wallingford Castle could be used in a future uprising, Oliver Cromwell purchased its devastation. Since then Wallingford has become a market community and also centre of neighborhood business. At the centre of the town is a large open market square with the war memorial and also 17th century arcaded city center to the south, the Corn Exchange theatre to the east as well as countless look around the sides. Off the square there are alleyways as well as streets with even more stores and also a variety of historical inns. Although it was a town, Wallingford once had 14 churches; currently, there are 3 ancient churches within the Parish of St Mary-le-More and also St Leonard, a modern Roman Catholic church, a Quaker Meeting House dating from 1724 as well as Baptist, Methodist as well as area churches.