Blewbury
Coordinates: 51°34′16″N 1°13′48″W / 51.571°N 1.230°W
| Blewbury | |
 Blewbury |
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 Blewbury
Blewbury shown within Oxfordshire |
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| Population | 1,528 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU5385 |
| Civil parish | Blewbury |
| District | Vale of White Horse |
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Didcot |
| Postcode district | OX11 |
| Dialling code | 01235 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wantage |
| Website | Blewbury Bulletin |
| List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire | |
Blewbury is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
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[edit] Prehistory
The southern part of the parish is chalk downland and includes a number of prehistoric sites. Half of the 360 feet (110 m) high Blewburton Hill is in the parish. It is topped by an Iron Age hill fort that may have been occupied from the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC.[2] The parish's highest point is the 520 feet (160 m) Churn Hill, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the village. On its northwestern side are two round barrows, the larger of which is Churn Knob.[3] There are other round barrows further south, towards the boundaries with Compton and East Ilsley parishes.[3]
[edit] Parish church
The Church of England parish church of Saint Michael the Archangel was originally an early Norman building of the 11th century. St. Michael's is now a member of the Churn Benefice.[4]
[edit] Secular buildings
Blewbury has a number of historic timber-framed buildings.[5] There is a cruck cottage in South Street.[3] Hall Barn may date from about 1660.[3]
William Malthus was a London merchant who left land at Noke, Oxfordshire to fund a school at Blewbury.[6][7] Its five-bay Queen Anne style school building close to St. Michael's church was built in 1709.[5]
Also close to the church are two almshouses. Nikolaus Pevsner states that he first was built in 1738 for the oldest man in the village and the second was added on its centenary in 1838.[5] However, Page and Ditchfield state that there are two cottages that one James Bacon founded in 1747.[6]
[edit] Notable people
Blewbury has been the home of writers including Elizabeth Ferrars,[citation needed] Dick Francis,[8] Kenneth Grahame,[8] Marguerite Steen[8] Barbara Euphan Todd.
The artist William Nicholson, father of abstract painter Ben Nicholson, also lived in Blewbury.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "Area: Blewbury CP (Parish): Parish Headcounts". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798714&c=Blewbury&d=16&e=15&g=481252&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1268751337780&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ Pevsner 1966, p. 74.
- ^ a b c d Pevsner 1966, p. 92.
- ^ "St. Michael's Church, Blewbury". Churn Churches. http://www.churnchurches.co.uk/bl_building.php.
- ^ a b c Pevsner 1966, p. 91.
- ^ a b Page & Ditchfield 1923, pp. 280–291.
- ^ Page & Ditchfield 1923, pp. 378–384.
- ^ a b c Marshalls. "Blewbury". http://www.marshallsgroup.com/Blewbury.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-10.[dead link]
[edit] Sources
- Page, W.H.; Ditchfield, P.H., eds (1923). A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 3. Victoria County History. pp. 280–291.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 91–92.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blewbury |
- Blewbury Village Society
- Blewbury Brass Band
- Royal Berkshire History: Blewbury
- Blewbury and Upton Cricket Club website
