OXFORD

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city of dreaming spires lies 26 miles north of Newbury, it's famous its University and its place in history. For over 8oo years its been home to Royals and scholars, since the 9th century it has been an established town, althought people have lived here for thousands of years.

It was granted a city in 1542 and in the 2011 census it was believed that the population was around 151,900, nowadays the city is  a busy cosmopolitan town with a mixture of old and new buildings and it numerous Colleges, so this makes Oxford place an interesting place to visit.

You can hop on a tour bus and get off at many points around the city, there's plenty of quality restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes and other interesting buildings.

 

Looking Down Turl Street Towards The Tower Of All Saints Church

 

 

Many Bikes Down Brasenose Lane

 

 

Oxford also has many museums you can visit, there's Oxford University museum of natural history, which houses the Universities scientific collection of zoological entomological and geological specimens. There's also the Museum of the history of science, the Ashmoleam Museum house art and archaeology items, Pitt Rivers Museum houses archaeological and ethnoggraphic objects from all parts of the world, The Museum of Oxford covers the history of the city and the University Museum is also famed for having the best preserved Dodo in the world.

 

 

A Sign In The Courtyard Of The Bodleian Library

 

 

 

It has to be the university and colleges which make Oxford well known, there are about 34 Colleges some go back hundreds of years. University College goes back to 1249, Balliol 1263, Merton 1264, St Edmund Hall 1270. Some of the famous colleges has to be Christ Church, Queens, Magdalen, Exeter, All Souls and Trinity. The Tom Tower at Christ Church was designed by Christopher Wren in gothic style, it houses the bell known as the great Tom.

Meadow Building Of Christ Church College

Tom Tower Designed By Christopher Wren

Hertford College is well known for , The Bridge of Sighs, twhich is a bridge made of stone in a Venetian-style and it spans over New College St.
I think the most famous building in Oxford has to be, The Radcliffe Camera is Englands finest libary, it was designed by James Gibbs and it opened in 1714.





The Bridge Of Sighs Seen From Catte Street

Bridge Of Sighs Spanning New College Lane

The Radcliffe Camera

A Close Up Of The Roof Of The Radcliffe Camera

To get the best views of Oxford has to be from the 40 metre spire of St Mary the Virgin, which is across the cobbled road from The Radcliffe Camera. Some of the College grounds are open for a small fee and is'nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and many tourist

The Spire of Mary The Virgin

The Cobbled Street Of Radcliffe Square

The Italian Deli Shop In The Covered Market

Another place to visit is the covered market, there are loads of stores inside, if you went in a few years ago you would have found Deer, Geese, Rabbits and Pidgeon hanging outside the many Butchers in there. One thing that brings people to Oxford has to be the ITV Programmes Inspector Morse which Starred the late John Thaw and Kevin Whatley, the series ran from 1987-2000. Now Kevin Watley stars in his own series called, Lewis, and he has Laurence fox starring along side him, you can even go on the Inspector Morse tour. Oxford is also well known for it's rowing, in april there's the annual boat race between Oxford University and Cambridge University. It was the idea of Charles Merival, a student at Cambridge and his friend Charles Wordsworth who was a student at Oxford. The first race was in 1829, the race is 4 miles and 374 yards long, it's takes place on the river Thames, it starts at Putney Bridge and ends up finishing at Chiswick Bridge. Sir Matthew pinsent who won 4 gold medals in a row for GBR also rowed for Oxford in1990, 1991 and 1993.

Some famous people have studied at Oxford, Alan Bennet - Playwright, Bill Clinton - President of the USA, Sir Christopher Wren - Architect, J J R Tolkin - Author and Academic, Sir John Betjeman - Poet, Stephen Hawkin - Physicist and Author,T E Lawrence - Lawrebce of Arabia and Sir Bernard lee - Inventer of the World Wide Web. So if you ever near Oxford I would make a visit to this city.



All Photos taken and owned by DDPearce of Darrins Photography

NEWBURY

                                                                      

I would like to tell you about the town where I was born and still live. Newbury was founded in the late 11th century following the Norman invasion as New Borough from where it got it's name.

Newbury is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal. There are many 17th century building in the town, one of the oldest buildings to be the one that belonged to John Winchcombe also locally known as Jack O' newbury who was to become the proprietor of the largest wool manufacturer in the UK. His claim to fame was when he took on a bet whether a mans coat could be made by taking the wool from a sheep's back to making it in to a coat in a single day, and he won the bet. His house can still be seen to this day in a side street off of Northbrook St.



John Winchcombe House

Looking Up At John Winchcombe House

Newbury was  the scene of two civil war battles, the first took place in 1643 at Wash Common south of Newbury and the second took place in 1644 at Speen which is north of Newbury.  At Donnington you will find Donnington Castle which was built by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386. During the first civil war it was held by the Royalist Sir John Boys and it with stood an 18 month siege, after the garrison surrendered Parliament ordered that Donnington Castle be demolished and this was done in 1646. All that stands today is the impressive Gatehouse and the foundations of  where walls and towers once stood.



Gatehouse Of Donnington Castle

Nearby is Shaw house which was built in 1581 by Newbury clothier Thomas Dolman. In one of the rooms there is a brass plaque marking the spot where a shot from a Roundhead Musket that narrowly missed King Charles I who was dressing himself in the window on the first morning of the first battle of Newbury when the house was under heavy siege. It is also believed that an underground tunnel runs from Shaw House to Donnington Castle.



The Front Of Shaw House



A Photo Of Shaw House Taken Back In The Late 1990s

In the town you will find the church of St Nicolas. A church has stood on this site since it was mentioned in a document in 1086,The present church was entirely rebuilt between 1509-1533.

St Nicolas church is also one of the Berkshires finest wool churches; meaning it was built from the profits of the wool and cloth industry. The rebuild of this perpendicular was started by John Winchcombe (Jack of Newbury) and was completed by his son, also named John.

Inside you'll find the final resting place of John Winchcombe (Jack of Newbury), who passed away in February 1519, he is buried next to his first wife Alice. The church was used by Parliamentarian troops as a guard's room and a hospital during the civil war in the 17th century.

Much of the church was vandalised and defaced at this time with lead stripped from the nave and aisle roofs; even the weathercock was pulled down.

St Nicolas Church Seen From Bartholomew St

A Stained Glass Window Dedicated to John Winchcombe
(Jack Of Newbury)



Sign Above A Door Of The Church



The Bell Tower Facing West



The Church From Bartholomew St Once Again


One of the towns most beautiful buildings has to be the cloth hall, it was originally built in the 17th century. The cloth hall is now home to the Newbury museum which contains items from the civil war and the cloth industry.

Side Door Of The Museum



The Cloth Hall, Now The Museum



A Plaque On The Wall Of The Museum



The Dragon Weather Vain On The Museum



A Carved Wooden Support On The Museum

Next to the cloth hall is the wharf which was once a bustling depot which could load and unload large barges.The Kennet and Avon canal runs through the centre of the town, it was built by the great train engineer John Rennie and it opened in 1810. It linked the river Thames to the Bristol Channel.



The Wharf Where Once Bargees Were Loaded And Unloaded



A Lock On The Kennet And Avon Canal



A Sign By The Canal

An Old Crane By The Canal

One of the oldest parts of Newbury is West Mills, here you will find lines of quaint cottages and period houses brick. The timber-framed weavers' cottages are jacobean, one of the cottages still has its tile-hung east gable with moulded bargeboards and a picturesque oriel window and retains its old leaded lights.

Tile End Of A Jacobean Cottage



A Row Of Period Houses And Cottages



Looking Back Towards West Mills



Once Where The Flour Mill Stood, Now Flats



The Old Mill Which Is Now Flats. Seen From The Swing Bridge

The one thing Newbury is famous for is its racecourse, it has to be one of the best and most beautiful racecourses in the UK. Many top races, both flat and National hunt, are run at here. In 2005 it celebrated its 100th anniversary, one of the most popular race has to the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, a steeplechase run in the Autumn. Many top steeplechasers have run in the event. The most famous has to be the legendary Arkle. An Irish horse that's it had be said is the greatest of all steeplechasers. He won the race twice, in 1964 and 1965. It was also here that Arkle had one of his rare failures,defeat in the 1963 race to Mill House, which was caused by Arkle slipping on landing after jumping a fence.


One person I would like to tell you about is a well known man in Newbury, he was Lord George Sanger.

He was born on 23rd December 1825, later on in his life he would be the owner of a circus. In 1903 he presented the people of Newbury with a statue of Queen Victoria and it was placed in the Market place where is father once had a stall. The monument was moved to Marsh Park in 1966, Marsh Park became Victoria Park. It's Rumoured he was murdered by a employee Herbert Charles Cooper at his home with a hatchet  on 28th November 1911. He was buried next to his wifes grave in Margate on 4th December 1911 Why I wanted to tell you about Lord George Sanger as I'm related to him on my mothers side of the family. It is said that his father James was on the HMS Victory during the battle of Trafalgar along Lord Nelson, wether this is true I'm not sure.

A Photo Of Lord Sanger



Queen Victoria With Her Lions



Queen Victoria looking not Amused



Close Up Of Three Of The Lions

The Statue Of Fame Was Once Part of the Queen Victoria Monument When It Was In The Market Place

Newbury is twinned with Braunfels (Germany), Bagnols-Sur-Ceze (France), Eeklo (Belgium) and Feltre in Italy.

The Day The Olympic Touch Came To Newbury

 11th July 2012

The town crier

Dancers in the Olympic colours

The Olympic Flame

All photos taken and owned by DDPEARCE of Darrins Photography

The photo of Lord George Sanger was taken from the book I own called, Seventy years a showman by Lord George Sanger, printed in 1926 by J.M.Dent And Sons Ltd Of London And Toronto
                                 

 

DONNINGTON CASTLE

 

 

 



Pathway To The Castle



 

 

Donnington castle is local to me and its a place like to visit, especially in the early morning on a fine day when the mist is starting to lift over Newbury and the surrounding area.

Donnington Castle is situated 2 miles north of Newbury, all that stands today is it splendid gatehouse and foundations which are made out of the local flint. Donnington castle was built by its original owner, Sir Richard Abberbury The Elder under licence granted by Richard II in 1386. The castle subsequently bought by Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer as a residence for his Daughter Alice, who later became the Duchess of Suffolk.
The family later fell out with the Tudor monarchs and the castle became a Royalist property.

The Splendid Gatehouse

In 1514 it was given to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, though Brandon appears to have stayed at the castle in 1516, by the time the castle and manor returned to the crown.
In 1535 the castle was in a state of decay,both King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle in 1539 and 1568 respectively.

Looking Inside The Gatehouse

In 1600 Elizabeth I gave the castle and manor to Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, by the time the English civil war broke out in 1643, the castle was owned by the Parliamentarian John Packer family. But after the first battle of Newbury it was taken for King Charles I, and held by Sir John Boys.
They enhanced the castles defence by adding earth works in a star shape.

The Star Shape Defences

The Parliamentarians laid siege to the castle in October 1644,the garrison held out for 18 months before Sir John Boys surrendered the castle in 1646, and in the same year Parliament decided to demolish the castle.
Today the castle is owned and looked after by English Heritage, today all you will find is its two storey gatehouse which has a fine vaulted ceiling, whilst elegant stone string course and curved gargoyles decorate the outside.

One Of The Gargoyles Keeping Watch

Looking Through At The Vaulted Ceiling

At the rear of the gatehouse you can still see fireplace and doors which indicate the floor levels, patches of brickwork show the damage caused during the civil war The external walls were rebuilt to a height of 0.2 meters (2 feet). The courtyard was enclosed by the curtain walls and would have probably contained a hall, kitchen and accommodation for guests.

The Doors And Fireplaces Can Be Seen At The Rear Of The Gatehouse

The Red Brickwork Shows Where The Castle Was Damaged During The Civil War

Certain times of the year the gatehouse is open to the public where you can enter the gatehouse and go up to the floors above. I hope to go one year.

Looking Over Towards Speen

Looking Towards The Cranes Of Newbury

Misty Morning



Gatehouse And Blue Sky



Looking Into The Courtyard

Gargoyles

Gatehouse Through The Trees

Looking Towards What Would Have Been The East Wall



Inside The Courtyard Looking Towards What Would Have Been One Of The Corner Towers

    Donnington Castle

                                       I've been keeping guard for over 600 years and more
                                       I've seen Roundheads, Cavaliers, peace and war
                                       Men have shed blood sweat and tears for me
                                       Since the first battle in 1643

                                       I've taken cannon and musket fire
                                       But I stood strong and did not tire
                                       Then in Parliament they did call
                                       That I should stand no more

                                       So men came and tore me down
                                       Because I once belonged to the crown
                                       My gatehouse and small walls still stand
                                       I'm told I look rather grand

                                       Now it's children who play and fight for me
                                       Before running home for their tea
                                       So after 600 years and more
                                       I am at peace and not at war
                                                                               
                                                                                 Poem by DDPearce

                       All photos taken and owned by DDPearce of Darrins Photograhy
                       The map of the battlements was found on Wikipedia