Great Bourton

Great Bourton

All Saints' parish church bell tower
Great Bourton
Great Bourton shown within Oxfordshire
Population 614 (parish, with Little Bourton) (2011 Census)
OS grid reference SP456455
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Banbury
Postcode district OX17
Dialling code 01295
Police Thames Valley
Fire Oxfordshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament
Website The Bourtons

Great Bourton is a village about 3 miles (5 km) north of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. It is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Bourton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 614.[1]

Church and chapel

Church of England

The Church of England parish church of All Saints was originally 13th century. The west wall of the nave has a recess containing a small bell cast by Henry I Bagley of Chacombe in 1673.[2] In 1863 the church was almost entirely rebuilt to plans by the architect William White,[3] who added a bell tower, separate from the church, built over the lychgate.[4][5] It is one of only three such bell towers in Britain to be so sited. All Saints' parish is now part of the Benefice of Shire's Edge along with those of Claydon, Cropredy, Mollington and Wardington.[6]

Methodist

Great Bourton village hall used to be the Methodist Chapel.

History

In the Battle of Cropredy Bridge in June 1644, the Parliamentarian General Waller saw that the Royalist army was strung out from its position on higher ground near Great Bourton and took the decision to order an attack. The Royalists pushed Waller's force back to Great Bourton when it met the Royalist Earl of Northampton's brigade of horse.

Amenities

The Bell Inn in 1995

Great Bourton has a pub, The Bell, that is controlled by Hook Norton Brewery.[7]

Great Bourton's only public transport is bus route 277 between Banbury and Temple Herdewyke in Warwickshire. Oxfordshire County Council subsidises the route, and the current operator is Stagecoach in Oxfordshire. There are two buses a day between Banbury and Farnborough, Warwickshire via Great Bourton, with one journey continuing to Temple Herdewyke.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Area: Bourton (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Crossley et al. 1972, pp. 175–184.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Church of All Saints  (Grade II) (1215872)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 617.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Lychgate at Church of All Saints  (Grade II) (1287914)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Archbishops' Council. "Benefice of Shires' Edge". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "The Bell Inn Great Bourton". Hook Norton Brewery. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Lighthorne Heath • Fenny Compton • Banbury 277". Stagecoach in Oxfordshire. Retrieved 3 September 2015.

Sources

  • Crossley, Alan (ed.); Colvin, Christina; Cooper, Janet; Cooper, N.H.; Harvey, P.D.A.; Hollings, Marjory; Hook, Judith; Jessup, Mary; Lobel, Mary D.; Mason, J.F.A.; Trinder, B.S.; Turner, Hilary (1972). A History of the County of Oxford. Victoria County History. 10: Banbury Hundred. London: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research. pp. 175–184. ISBN 978-0-19722-728-2.
  • Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 617. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.
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