Great Bourton
All Saints' parish church bell tower
Great Bourton is located in Oxfordshire
Great Bourton
Great Bourton
Location within Oxfordshire
Population614 (parish, with Little Bourton) (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSP456455
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBanbury
Postcode districtOX17
Dialling code01295
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteThe Bourtons
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
52°06′22″N 1°20′06″W / 52.106°N 1.335°W / 52.106; -1.335

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 Shires' 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 502 between Banbury and Temple Herdewyke in Warwickshire. The current operator is Stagecoach in Warwickshire. There is one bus a day on Saturdays.[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. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  7. ^ "The Bell Inn Great Bourton". Hook Norton Brewery. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  8. ^ "502 Leamington / Harbury - Temple Herdewyke / Banbury". Traveline Southeast. Retrieved 6 December 2019.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Bourton.
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