THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

After all this time, this is the final post of our 2023 sojourn. After a night in Birstwith we spend a couple of days in historic Banbury and Bath  before returning to London to fly home to Australia.

Weir on River Nidd, Wreaks Road, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England UK


River Nidd, Wreaks Road, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England UK


Town Hall, Bridge Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Lamprey’s Buildings”, Bridge Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Very hard to find information on this heritage building.

Alamy Stock Photos quotes:-

“Lampreys Building. In 1834 John Lamprey bought the corn merchandising business of R. Edmunds and Son. He lived above his shop here and the building became the company headquarters.”

This building bears the date of 1839 so I can only guess that the business was established elsewhere prior to construction of these premises.


Post Box, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

-*-*-*-Image 1-*-*-*-Image 2-*-*-*-


HSBC Bank, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Cornhill Corn Exchange (Castle Shopping Centre), Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Wine Vaults, Parsons Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed Building


Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn on the right – said to have hosted both William Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell in their days.


Bar Door, The Cromwell Hotel, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire,England UK


No. 1 Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Originates in the 17th century and is a grade II Listed Building


Doorway, No. 1 Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Abraxas Cookshop, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

The dark bit between the buildings is a separate individual place.


JT Davies Bar & Restaurant, Cornhill, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Capri”, 24 Cornhill Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Now an Italian restaurant


Nationwide Building Society, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Heritage Buildings, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Old Sign, Mill Lane, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Lock 29, Banbury Lock, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Tooley’s Boatyard, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Tooley’s Boatyard is a Scheduled Ancient Monument!

Tooley’s was established in 1778 and is the oldest continuous working dry dock in Britain. It was established to build and repair the wooden horse-drawn narrow boats which regularly travelled up and down the newly constructed Oxford Canal network which was completed in 1790 and was vital to the development of the Industrial Revolution in Banbury.


Narrow Boats, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Fine Lady” Statue, South Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Pepper Alley, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Lion Walk, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Lion Shopping Walk, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Old Wine House, Cnr High Street & Marlborough Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed building dating to the early 16th century as a house but now utilised as commercial premises.


The Banbury Cross, South Bar, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Banbury Cross. 1858 by J. Gibbs of Oxford to comemmorate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, to the Crown Prince of Prussia. Additions made in 1914 include the figures of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. Carved by Boulton and Sons. Limestone. In the style of an Eleanor Cross with niches, statues and small spire. 3 medieval crosses are mentioned in Banbury. There is no evidence that a medieval cross stood in Horse Fair but the site was probably selected for the 1858 cross because the historian Alfred Beesley writing in 1841 considered that it had been the site of the principal cross at Banbury. From medieval times onwards Banbury Cross has assumed significance as a local landmark.


Heritage Building, Child First Nursery, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

8 Horsefair, overlooking Banbury Cross. This historic building, originally built for Banbury’s Poor Law Guardians and is dated 1900. It was once home to the Banbury Museum until 1999.

The street name “Horse Fair” probably dates from the 16th century when there was a leather market, a horse market, a sheep market, a cattle market, a swine market, a leather market, a corn market and a flax market. There were also specialized annual fairs in Banbury. There was a leather fair, a horse fair, a cow fair, a fish fair, a cheese fair and a wool fair. Banbury cakes were first mentioned in 1586.


Solicitors Offices, South Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

On a previous visit in 2016, this was a private residence up for sale.


The Old Vicarage, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Dates to 1649, is Grade II Listed and built for Samuel Wells the Vicar of Banbury.


Whately Hall Hotel, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed building dated 1652


St Mary’s Church, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

St Mary’s Church was built in the 1790s to replace the Medieval one damaged during the English Civil War. It is Banbury’s only Grade I listed building and its most conspicuous landmark .


The Church House, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Grade II Listed building dated 1905 now in use as a Bar, Restaurant, Café.


Thai Orchid Restaurant, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Horse, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Coach & Horses, Butcher’s Row, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Bust of William Shakespeare, Sheila’s Sweets, Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Flowers, Caffè Nero, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Banksy Tribute Mural, Butcher’s Row, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Bell, Park Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England UK


Residential, Maugersbury Road, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England UK


Park Street, Stow on the Wold, loucestershire, England UK


Dining Room, The Salutation Inn, The Gibb, Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England UK


The Lamb & Lion, Lower Borough Walls, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Ghost Sign, Lulu Caffe, Hot Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Door, Holy Trinity Church, Cnr Chapel Row & Monmouth Place, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Views from our Window at The Black Fox, St James’s Parade, Bath, Somerset, England UK


The Bar, The Crown Hotel, Cnr High & Church Streets, Alton, East Hampshire, England UK


White Knight on White Horse, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


Aston Martin Dealership, New Zealand Avenue, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England UK


Gate & Door, 258 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


“Hadleigh Gate”, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


Old Building, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


“GR” Mailbox, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


A Few Drinks Along The Way


Pub Signs Along the Way


Our Hired Car – Vauxhall Grandland



 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *