Charlbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charlbury | |
  Charlbury shown within Oxfordshire |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | West Oxfordshire |
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire | |
Charlbury (pronounced /ˈtʃɑrlb(ə)ri/ or /ˈtʃɔrl-/, locally [ˈtʃɔw-]) is a small northwest Oxfordshire town bordering the Cotswolds, England on a hillside overlooking the Evenlode river and the Wychwood forest.
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[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 has some late Norman work the building is mainly of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. 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 /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/* thought to have originally meant '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 in June 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 did not take place in 2006 due to violence at the previous year's festival. It will be held again in 2008. 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 a Liberal Democrat, beating both Conservative and Green candidates in the recent West Oxfordshire District Council election.
[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 does retain a number of shops including a Co-op and Londis supermarkets, as well as four pubs, (The Bell, The Bull, The Rose and Crown and Ye Olde Three Horseshoes), a gift shop, a bookshop, a wedding dress shop, an oven shop, a newsagents, a garage, a second-hand car shop, 2 estate agents, a mens hairdressers, a womens hairdressers, a post office, a café and formerly a small Co-op, and a butchers. Increasingly people are moving to Charlbury to work from home, increasing commercial and social activity within the town.
Accommodation is available 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 has a recently renovated town museum, open mainly at weekends.
[edit] Photographs
