My latest article is about Edwin Rixon who lived in Hook Norton for a time before settling in Banbury. He was a well regarded citizen of the town in later years.
Edwin Tom Rixon MM
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Category Archives: Local History
Lawrence Percy Grey DCM
An article about a soldier with a connection to the village who is commemorated on the war memorial in St Peter’s Church. It can be found with my other recent ones under Articles – Recent in the menu.
Hugh Cloberry Christian
One of my more recent articles can now be read online, just click on the link – Articles – Recent. He lived in the 18th century and had a connection to Hook Norton. A brief reference is made in the article about severe gales which hampered the voyage to the West Indies in 1795. A follow up article has been written – Disaster at Chesil Beach. This too can be found under Articles – Recent
Blenheim Palace
As a photographer and keen walker I make the most of the good weather. Despite thunderstorms being forecast I travelled to Blenheim Palace in Woodstock on 31st July for a walk around the estate. There is restoration work being carried out on the roof with lots of scaffolding being erected to facilitate this. However, it provides an opportunity for visitors to gain access to the roof, all of 109 steps up to be eyeball to eyeball with some of the statues. I believe this is only until 2026 when the work should have been completed so if you are planning to visit Blenheim then you have a limited chance to follow in my footsteps.
HM King Charles III Coronation Party
To celebrate the coronation of King Charles which took place on Saturday 6 May on a dreich day in London the sun shone the following day and villagers were able to enjoy fine weather for our village street party.
The Parish Council and other volunteers worked very hard to produce an unforgettable day. The Sun Inn provided picnics for over 100 villagers, local bands played and there were numerous craft stalls making it an occasion to remember. In addition there was a dog show held in the back garden of The Sun.
New articles
I have recently added a couple of new articles to my website:-
Suicide at Hook Norton and John Butler VC DSO. They can be found under Articles – Fact for the former and Articles – WW1 for the latter.
Walking from Hooky
A few years ago the Local History Group revised the walks booklet that had been on sale for a number of years. The number of walks was increased from 4 to 8 and covered the footpaths in most directions from the village.
From time to time I have been walking these routes making sure that they are still marked clearly with little or no obstructions. Sometimes I take bits of several of the walks and combine them to make it more interesting for me. Today was a case in point. The golf course was closed owing to snow so it was “Shanks Pony” for me today. I kept to the road for most of it walking from the house to Swerford before turning off for Wigginton and then returning home across the fields. The map of my route is below.
Hook Norton Viaducts
A wet day here in Hooky, so a quick edit of an image in Photoshop of No2 Viaduct taken in much better conditions last month. I used a set of print templates supplied with N-Photo magazine to highlight the subject name and my details with a black border around the image.
From the Oxford Canal
In recent months, i.e. when it has been warm and sunny I have been going out for walks exploring the local countryside. That is when I am not playing golf! My latest walk was relatively short from Cropredy along the Oxford Canal towpath to Claydon before doing a swift about turn to head back to Cropredy. Although the weather was not as good as in the past it still pays to take a camera as I found this gypsy caravan and a table for two on the bank of the canal not far north of Cropredy.
I had lunch at The Mulberry Cafe in Cropredy – only a sandwich and coffee but very tasty.
Summer Walks
In recent weeks I have been making the most of the good weather and have embarked on some walks in the local area. The distance varies but, at present, my walks have been between 7 and 9 miles.
My latest was a round trip of roughly 8 miles. I parked my car near Chastleton House, a National Trust property and set off towards Cornwell then making my way to Daylesford Organic for my lunch stop. There is a bridleway which cuts through the Daylesford Estate which emerges just along the road from the farm shop. A good point for walkers is that there are several walking routes on the estate that are well signposted. Visitors are encouraged to use these footpaths, a good excuse to visit the farm shop for something to eat before going on one of the walks.
After Daylesford I walked along one of the “newly” marked footpaths to Lower Oddington before crossing the A436 to reach Adlestrop a quaint hamlet which once had a railway station.
The railway station at Adlestrop was in existence from 1853 until 1966. All that remains is the station sign which can be found by the bus shelter.The station was immortalised by Edward Thomas in his poem following his train stopping at the station on 24 June 1914.
As I walked around Adlestrop I came across this tap set into the wall of one of the houses. A small plaque informs passers by that this tap was the source of fresh water for the villagers up to the 1950s.
