The following  photograph may be of interest to Members and shows Littlestoke in the 1890's and comes from the OCC archives. It is taken at the spot where we walk down to the river and turn left towards the fishery.  The Barge on the right was used to transport Corn Wagons between Littlestoke and Cholsey.  The smaller craft to the left was a passenger ferry for the same Journey. Thanks to Chris Peel for sending it to me and shows that little has changed in the ensuing time.  The large building in the distance was the Fair Mile Hospital which was a Lunatic Asylum and was built in 1870.  The Map below the photo shows Littlestoke circa 1880 which clearly shows the Mental Hospital in it's original form as well as the ferry crossing point, Littlestoke House and Farm. It would appear the Boathouse was not always in it's present position.  It seems to have originally been on the small stream that the new footbridge crosses.  Today it is little more than a muddy ditch.  The facility had various names but after 1915 it became the Berkshire Mental Hospital.  This remained so until the formation of the NHS. In 1948 it once again was renamed the Fair Mile Hospital.  The facility closed in 2003 when it's use had declined due to modern mental health policy and treatment. It is now  a housing development called 'Fair Mile' which opened in 2011.  The Victorian buildings remain largely intact and are Grade 2 listed. New housing occupies the rest of the site, largely confined to areas previously used for ancillary buildings.