Shipton-on-Cherwell.

We have spent a pleasant few days moored below Shipton Bridge at Shipton-on-Cherwell.
We have got all the paintwork and varnishing jobs done and yesterday Maffi and Bones came to visit us after their holiday. We enjoyed a couple of hours chatting and drinking coffee on the towpath in the last of the evening’s sunshine. They are both the nicest people you will ever meet and we could sit and natter to them both for hours. I am a one to search out a places history and there is no better place to begin than in a church yard looking at the headstones, it can tell you a lot about a place and the people who lived there. For instance on December 24th 1874 there was a train crash which occurred on the Great Western Railway. 34 people died that day and many more were injured. Shipton-on-Cherwell has an intersting history, for instance the Manor House was once owned by Richard Branson of Virgin Records.
Also having spoken with Maffi and Bones last night they told us about a manor house which burnt down just over the field and its church, so this morning Keith and I took a walk over the fields to find this manor house and church. Having seen the buildings for ourselves it got me wondering about the history of the manor house and the church and whether there was any connection between the two. They are both set in the village of Hampton Gay, which has quite a history of its own. Whilst at the church we were invited inside by a lady who was arranging flowers for the funeral of her grandfather which was taking place later in the day. The Church of St Giles is very tiny and only gets used 6 times in the year due to the fact it has no electricity to it, which is sad as it is such a pretty church.The Manor house has quite a history, which ended in 1887 when the house burnt down. It was originally built by the Barry family in the second half of the 16th Century
So it just goes to show that just because a village is tiny and shows no outward signs of a history, behind its doors lies a wealth of facts about it previous life.
Keith’s sister came to pay us a visit before she headed off to work. It gave us a chance to catch up on family news and tell her about our journey so far. Tomorrow we will be heading off on our way to Banbury.