Charlbury

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Map sources for Charlbury at grid reference SP3519

Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for a pronunciation key.

Charlbury (/ˈtʃɑːlb(ə)ˌɹi/, /ˈtʃɔːl-/, or /ˈtʃɔw-/, in the IPA) is a small northwest Oxfordshire town bordering the Cotswolds, England on a hillside overlooking the Evenlode river and the Wychwood forest.

1 Local buildings of note
2 Name dispute
3 Annual events
4 Politics
5 Town facilities
6 Photographs
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Local buildings of note

Charlbury's parish church of St.Mary the Virgin is by tradition associated with Saint Diuma, the first Bishop of Mercia, though the present building is 17th Century in date. On the outskirts of Charlbury is Lee Place, the former Dower House of Ditchley and now the summer home of the Duke of Marlborough. Cornbury Park, now owned by Lord Rotherwick, contains a great 17th century house designed partly by architect Hugh May.

It is served by Charlbury railway station, a Brunelian station in the town, with regular rail services south to Oxford and London among others, and north terminating at Hereford, Great Malvern and Worcester.

[edit] Name dispute

The origin of the town's name is a matter of some dispute, with some holding it to relate to the name 'Charles' and others to the Old English word ceorl (probably pronounced /tʃɒrl/ or /tʃɔrl/) meaning "freeman of the lowest class", whence the Modern English words "churl" and "churlish" (which are now used only in a derogatory sense). For this reason some hold the latter two pronunciations more valid than the former, and the current spelling incorrect, preferring 'Chorlbury'. Interestingly both the name 'Charles' and the word 'ceorl'/'churl' derive from the same Proto-Germanic root word /ˈkarilaz/ (reconstructed phonemic transcription) meaning 'old man', adding another twist to the dispute.

[edit] Annual events

There are a number of annual traditional events which take place in Charlbury. The town has recently become well known locally for the annual Charlbury Riverside Festival, the largest free rock and world music festival in Oxfordshire, held on a public area of watermeadow encircled by the Evenlode known as the Mill Field as it was the location of an old watermill, although this event has not taken place this year (2006) due to violence at the previous year's festival. Another popular event is the Beer Festival in which a wide range of traditionally produced English beers and ciders are available, with food and live music also provided. This event normally takes place on the second Saturday in July, with all money raised going to local groups. Also in July is the Cornbury Festival, a weekend long music festival at Cornbury Park. There is also the annual street fair in mid September, with stalls selling a variety of goods, parades, morris dancing, music, and other entertainment.

[edit] Politics

Charlbury is situated in the constituency of Conservative Party leader David Cameron. Its town councillor is also conservative.

[edit] Town facilities

Despite its small population (around 1,400 houses) and the increasing tendency of residents to commute to work in larger conurbations, Charlbury retains a number of small shops including a small Co-op supermarket, as well as four pubs and a café. Increasingly people are moving to Charlbury to work from home, increasing commercial and social activity within the town.

Visitors will find accommodation at two of the town's pubs, The Bell and The Bull, and there is a campsite for tents and touring caravans at Banbury Hill Farm, about half a mile from the town.

Charlbury also boasts its own museum, open mainly at weekends.