MANY people come to Wallingford to shop, but how many ever go further than the car park and the market area?

Wallingford's long and interesting history makes it a great place to explore.

Some things are easily spotted, like the ninth century ramparts surrounding the town and the remains of the royal castle, but there's so much more hidden away in the back streets with a story to tell.

By the 16th century Wallingford was struggling for its existence; the economic success of other local towns, like Reading, Abingdon, Oxford and Henley, now far outweighed Wallingford's former importance as a royal stronghold. The town had shrunk dramatically within its walls; its population had reduced from about 2,500 in 1086 (Domesday Book) to around 550 by 1548 (town survey). It was largely the growth of London in the late 17th and 18th centuries that enabled Wallingford's survival – the Londoners needed beer to drink, and Wallingford developed its malt trade, processing local barley from the fertile surrounding countryside to provide the malt for the London brewers, shipped down the Thames.

A walk round the back-streets reveals fascinating evidence of this trade, and of the growth of two other closely associated industries – brewing and iron-founding. In the 18th century the Wells brewery, situated in Goldsmith's Lane, came to dominate the surrounding area. Its large drays – the horse-drawn barrel-carrying carts – scraped the brickwork of the narrow street as they squeezed past each other. The Wells pubs in the town numbered around fifty in the19th century.

Wilders, the iron-founders, began in the town in a timber-framed building in Mill Lane, expanding to larger premises in Goldsmiths Lane in 1869. They specialised in supporting agricultural needs for farm machinery and tools, expanding from horse-drawn to steam-hauled plough engines as new inventions were introduced. A second family business set up in Crowmarsh (after a falling out!) specialised partly in 'street furniture'.

Today, the town needs another 'economic boost' and it is finding it in tourism - sharing its great heritage. One very current example is promoting Agatha Christie, a renowned Winterbrook resident, from 1934 till her death in 1976. During a packed Agatha Christie Weekend, September 9 to 11, her grandson Mathew Prichard will be sharing his unique family knowledge of Agatha in a rare and specially illustrated 'conversation' at the Corn Exchange (Sat 10, 3.30pm, tickets £10). Full details of all events and bookings are at wallingfordmuseum.org.uk.

For a tour of the town's 'hidden' history described above, there's a free self-guided walk leaflet at the Town Information Centre (under the Town Hall) or if you prefer to be personally guided there's a weekly walk starting there at 11am on Saturdays (£5).