Cropredy near Banbury, canal, train and music

Monday, 06 October 2008 20:09

We are here moored in Cropredy for a few days. Various things to do, and as we have friends both on and near the canal it is a good place to be for a while.


As I write I can hear the bells of the church ringing out - it is lovely to hear them and reminds me of Cornwall when we lived in St Mawgan near Newquay and could hear the 8 bells from the Parish Church there ringing out over the valley.


There are also 8 bells in this mainly 14th century church of St Mary The Virgin, and it has a enthusiastic team of bell ringers.


The Curfew bell is rung on Tuesday and Thursdays - a tradition set up by a grateful priest who getting lost in the fog found his way back following the sound of the Cropredy Bell. He set up fund to pay for the clock to be wound and the bell to be rung a number of times a day - the first 15 minutes at 4am!

Modern bell ringers get of lightly - only twice a week at 8pm!

A lot of the property here in Cropredy is owned by Braesnose College, Oxford University. There are some lovely cottages around the church and village center, built of Horton stone, some of them thatched  and some more modern properties on the outskirts.

The village had a long history and was mentioned in The Doomsday Book. It was mainly a farming community.

The canal arrived in 1790 bringing coal, corn and bricks to the old wharf here.


The wharf has boaters facilities of which we availed ourselves yesterday. John doing a magnificent job of reversing back to our mooring after wards

The GWR (God's Wonderful Railway!) had a station here with goods sidings. What a sight to see the steam trains running past, now diesel trains can only be heard going over the nearby bridge. The station was closed in 1956 - what a real shame. 6d to Banbury!

Now the only way into Banbury is bus, car and boat of course! I came back by bus today and it is great as it goes via 3 other lovely villages first so it is a bit like a sightseeing tour!

Modern - day Cropredy has another claim to fame - Fairport Convention and the Cropredy Music Festival when the village is taken over by fans of Fairport and their friends. See our blog, we were there this year!

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