Best known as the birthplace of King Alfred during the 1600s it was known as Black Wantage - a lawless place full of vagabonds and criminals. It's actually mentioned by that name in Lorna Doone.
In the 1800s it was transformed into Golden Wantage, as the central trading point for all the agricultural land around, and also industry.In the 1950's the population was around 12,000. In 2009 it's part of the Wantage and Grove connurbation which has a population around 50,000.
