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The phoenix trail

James figg

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The phoenix trail

The phoenix trail from Thame to Princes Risborough, is a lovely place for a relaxed bike ride or walk. This trail is 38minutes to cycle or 2 hours 30 minutes to walk, it's also a traffic free walk. If you're lucky enough you may spot a few red kites which thrive in this area. This impressive bird of prey can be identified by its reddish-brown coloring and its distinctive forked tail.

This trail is flat so it is brilliant for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The phoenix trail has a series of 30 pieces of artwork inspired by the old railway environment and the local landscapes of the chiltern. At either end of the trail you will find a lovely market town, Thame or Princes Risborough.

There is a pub just as the start the walk from thame called the Thatch pub which has a lovely seating area, which is great for the new covid restrictions. This pub will reopen on the 12th april within the government guidelines. There are many more lovely pubs along the way throughout the trail.

Steve from RCP services said “Lovely family walk with lots of random sculptures dotted about. Excellent for kids to ride their bikes with no risk of traffic, great views and lots of wildlife to be seen.”

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James Figg

James Figg was born in 1684 into a poor farming family in Thame in Oxfordshire. The youngest of seven children, he was a rough, tough youngster. He grew up to exhibit and teach methods of fighting with swords and fists from a base in London in the eighteenth century.

He is widely recognized as the first English bare-knuckle boxing champion, reigning. Figg was six feet tall, weighed 185 pounds and was well versed in both armed and unarmed combat.

In 1719, Figg opened a boxing academy just north of oxford street, which held over 1000 people, where he would teach and demonstrate his skills. Figg's business card for his academy said him to be, "Master of the noble science of defence." Figg never lost a fight and became a champion of Great Britain.

On the 6th of June 1727, James Figg fought Ned Sutton a pipe maker from Gravesend. This fight generated huge interest, amongst the audience were many important names, including Sir Robert Walpole (the Prime Minister.)

Figg went on to retire in 1730, the title of Champion was claimed by one of James Figg's pupils - Jack Broughton, who was to retain the title of champion for 20 years.

In 1741, Broughton fought George Stevenson. The fight lasted just under 40 minutes. Broughton landed a solid blow just below Stevenson's heart.

Stevenson dropped to the floor and did not get up. Jack Broughton was heard saying, "What have I done? I've killed him!" He eventually recovered enough to pay his respects to Broughton just before losing consciousness again. Stevenson sadly never recovered.

Broughton went on to put into place the first set of rules in an attempt to make boxing safer. These rules were the declaration that at the beginning of each round a man would be given 30 seconds to make his way to a line at the centre of the ring, if they failed then they forfeited the bout. This line was referred to as the "scratch," and the term "not up to scratch" this rule is still used today in boxing.