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The ancient Yew in the garden is said to be the burial site of a nun and a monk executed in 1440 "for misconduct," a story unproven but given
some credence by the abundance of ecclesiastical property in the area. A particularly prosperous time for The Bull would have been before the coming of the railway, when it served as a Post-House on the busy
Reading to Oxford route.
The iron wheel-pump in the forecourt of the inn has supplied fresh water for centuries and it is recorded that during the great freeze of 1895 water was
sold from this point for sixpence a bucket. More recently, The Bull at Streatley Featured in Jerome K. Jerome's famous tale of A Thames Journey, Three men in a Boat, in which the main characters and their
dog visited the inn "much to Montmorency's satisfaction". A recent BBC mini series
The twin riverside villages of Goring and Streatley have been sites of some importance for centuries, particularly for trade. Even in prehistoric times
the river crossing at this point enabled the Icknield Way route, from the Wash in the East, to link with the ancient Ridgeway over the Downs to Avebury and Stonehenge in the West. Stone age implements have been
found locally and Streatley was certainly occupied in Roman times.
There are many fine buildings to visit in Streatley, including the parish Church of St Mary. Its origins are Saxon and Norman,
although the present building dates from the thirteenth century when it was built by Bishop Poore, who also was responsible for Salisbury Cathedral.
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