Charlbury facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charlbury
St Mary's parish church from the southeast
Charlbury
Population	2,830 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	SP3519
District	West Oxfordshire
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Chipping Norton
Postcode district	OX7
Dialling code	01608
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Oxfordshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Banbury
Website	Charlbury Town Council
List of places UK England Oxfordshire 51°52′19″N 1°28′55″W / 51.872°N 1.482°W / 51.872; -1.482

Charlbury is a small town and civil parish in the beautiful Evenlode valley. It is located in Oxfordshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Witney. Charlbury sits right on the edge of the historic Wychwood Forest and the scenic Cotswolds area. In 2011, about 2,830 people lived in Charlbury.

What Does the Name Charlbury Mean?

Charlbury has been a settlement for a very long time, possibly since the Anglo-Saxons lived in England. The name "Charlbury" comes from two old English words:

• Burh means a fortified or protected place.
• Ceorl (pronounced like "churl") means a "freeman of the lowest class." It could also have been a personal name.

So, Charlbury might mean "the fortified place of the freemen" or "Charles's fortified place." The word "Ceorl" is actually related to the modern name "Charles" and the German name "Karl."

Important Buildings in Charlbury

Charlbury is home to some interesting old buildings:

• Lee Place is a Grade II* listed building. It used to be the home for the widow of the owner of Ditchley Park. Today, it is the home of Rosita Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.
• Cornbury Park is about a mile southwest of Charlbury. This large country house was built in the 1600s. It was partly designed by the famous architect Hugh May. Cornbury Park is owned by Lord Rotherwick.

St Mary the Virgin Parish Church

The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin has a long history. It is believed to be linked to Saint Diuma, who was the first Bishop of Mercia in the 600s.

Church History and Design

By the late 1100s, the church belonged to Eynsham Abbey. They owned the church until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s.

• The arcade between the main part of the church (nave) and the north aisle is from the Norman period.
• In the 1200s, the church became much larger. The chancel (the area around the altar) was extended, and a south aisle, a west tower, and two chapels were added.
• Later, in the 1300s, beautiful Decorated Gothic windows were put in.
• In the 1400s, more changes were made in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The tower was made taller, and a new door was added at its base. A clerestory (a row of windows above the nave) was also built.
• The south porch was added in the 1500s.
• In the 1800s, the church was updated by architects like G.E. Street and Charles Buckeridge. They removed old wooden galleries and added new pews.
• In the early 1990s, the church was rearranged again. The pews were removed, and the main altar was moved to the west end.

Church Bells

The church has a bell tower with a set of six bells. All these bells were made in 1716 by Abraham I Rudhall of Gloucester. There is also a smaller Sanctus bell from around 1599.

Quakers in Charlbury

Jacobethan drinking fountain designed by John Kibble and erected in 1897 to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria.

The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, came to Charlbury after the English Civil War in the 1650s.

• Anne Downer, whose father was a Vicar of Charlbury, became a Quaker in 1654. She was one of the first Quaker women preachers.
• Quakers in Charlbury often met in people's homes. Many were punished for not paying the Church Rate (a local tax for the church).
• In 1680, a Quaker meeting was so crowded that the local Quakers decided to build their own meeting house. Land was given by Quakers like Thomas Gilkes of Sibford Gower.
• The first Quaker meeting house was built in 1681. It also had a burial ground.
• In 1779, a new, larger meeting house was built on the same spot. It is a square Georgian building with a hipped roof.
• After the First World War, fewer people attended Quaker meetings. In the 1920s, the meeting house closed and became a school.

Quaker Clockmakers

The Thomas Gilkes who helped with the meeting house had a son, also named Thomas Gilkes (1704–57). This son became a famous clockmaker in Charlbury. He was also a respected Quaker minister. His son, a third Thomas Gilkes (1740–75), continued the clockmaking business. Many longcase clocks made by these men still exist today.

Another Quaker clockmaker in Charlbury was William Harrison. He made a longcase clock around 1770, and another one is in the Charlbury Society Museum. In 1792, Harrison installed the large turret clock at University College, Oxford. Quaker clockmakers in Charlbury were part of a network of Quaker clockmakers in north Oxfordshire. They were often related or had trained together.

Getting Around Charlbury

Train Services

Charlbury railway station

Charlbury railway station is on the Cotswold Line. You can catch Great Western Railway trains from here. These trains travel to places like London Paddington, Oxford, Great Malvern, Worcester, and Hereford.

Bus Services

• Stagecoach in Oxfordshire runs a branch of its route S3 between Charlbury and Oxford. This bus goes through Woodstock. Buses run every hour from Monday to Saturday.
• Pulhams route X9 connects Chipping Norton and Witney, stopping in Charlbury. This service also runs hourly, Monday to Saturday.
• There are other local bus services in Charlbury, but they run less often.

Local Media

Charlbury has its own local news and entertainment:

• Television: Local news and TV shows are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian. You can get TV signals from the Oxford TV transmitter.
• Radio: Local radio stations include BBC Radio Oxford (95.2 FM), Heart South (102.6 FM), Greatest Hits Radio South (106.4 FM), and Witney Radio (107.4 FM), which is a community station.
• Newspapers: The town is served by the Oxfordshire Guardian and The Charlbury Chronicle. The Charlbury Chronicle is given free to every home in Charlbury.

Things to Do in Charlbury

View down Sheep Street to Hixet Wood

Charlbury offers many activities and events:

• Sports:
  • Charlbury Town Football Club plays in the Witney and District Football League.
  • Charlbury Cricket Club plays in the Oxfordshire Cricket Association League.
  • Charlbury Bowls Club plays in the Oxfordshire Bowls League.
• Community Groups: Charlbury has a Women's Institute.
• Charlbury Museum: Opened in 1962, this local museum is run by the Charlbury Society. It tells the story of the town.
• Annual Events: Charlbury hosts several fun events each year:
  • The Riverside Music Festival in July is a free music event.
  • The Wilderness Festival in August is a popular arts and music festival.
  • The Charlbury Street Fair in September has been running since 1955.
  • The Charlbury Beer Festival in late June or July hosts the Aunt Sally Singles World Championship, a traditional pub game.

Walcot

Walcot
Top Barn, Walcot
Walcot
OS grid reference	SP3466519833
District	West Oxfordshire
Unitary authority	Oxfordshire
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Ceremonial county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Chipping Norton
Postcode district	OX7
Dialling code	01608
EU Parliament	South East England
List of places UK England 51°52′N 1°30′W / 51.86°N 1.50°W / 51.86; -1.50

Walcot is a very small hamlet, which means it's a tiny settlement, made up of just one farm. It is part of the civil parish of Charlbury and is very close to the town. Walcot Farmhouse is a historic building, dating back to the 1500s and 1600s. Walcot is near Charlbury station and the River Evenlode.

See also

In Spanish: Charlbury para niños