Charlbury

From Freepedia

Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

Charlbury (/ˈtʃɑːlb(ə)ˌɹi/, /ˈtʃɔːl-/, or /ˈtʃɔw-/, in the IPA) is a small northwest Oxfordshire town bordering the Cotswolds, England on a hillside overlooking the Evenlode river and the Wychwood forest. Its parish church of St.Mary the Virgin is by tradition associated with Saint Diuma, the first Bishop of Mercia, though the present building is 17th Century in date. On the outskirts of Charlbury is Lee Place, the former Dower House of Ditchley and now the summer home of the Duke of Marlborough; also Cornbury Park, a great 17th century house partly by architect Hugh May, the estate now owned by Lord Rotherwick. Charlbury has an Brunelian station and regular rail services south to Oxford and London among others, and north terminating at Hereford. The town has recently become well known for the annual Charlbury Riverside Festival, the largest free rock and world music festival in Oxfordshire, held on a public area of watermeadow encircled by the Evenlode known as the Mill Field as it was the location of an old watermill.

The origin of the town's name is a matter of some dispute, with some holding it to relate to the name 'Charles' whilst others to the Old English word 'ceorl' (probably said /tʃɒrl/ or /tʃɔrl/) meaning 'freeman of the lowest class' or such from which the Modern English word 'churl' (cf 'churlish', incidentally originally becoming derogatory as it came to mean lowly) derives. For this reason some hold the latter two pronunciations more valid than the former, and the current spelling incorrect, preferring 'Chorlbury'. Interestingly both the name 'Charles' and the word 'ceorl'/'churl' derive from the same Proto-Germanic root word /ˈkarilaz/ (reconstructed phonemic transcription) meaning 'old man', adding another twist to the dispute.

Despite its small population (in about 1400 houses) and the increasing tendency of people to commute to work in the larger conurbations, Charlbury retains a number of small shops including a small Co-op supermarket, as well as four pubs and a cafe. Increasingly people are moving to the town to work from home, giving the place a new lease of life.

Visitors will find accommodation at two of the pubs, The Bell and The Bull, and there is a campsite for tents and touring caravans at Banbury Hill Farm, about half a mile from the town.

Charlbury also boasts its own museum, open mainly at weekends.

External links

• Town website
• Website of St.Mary's church
• Charlbruy Riverside Festival website
• / Website of the Charlbury Beer Festival

In addition there are a number of annual traditional events, such as the Beer Festival which has a comprehensive range of excellent beers / ciders etc and food. This event normally takes place on the second Saturday in July with all mones raised going to local groups. Then there is the street fair in mid September, with stalls, parades and merriment. In the heat of summer there is also the Riverside festival, local bands, stalls and a beer tent