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Historic Towns & Picturesque Villages

A picture of Rothley

Rothley

in the county of Leicestershire

A picture of Edgbaston

Edgbaston

in the county of West Midlands

Kew Gardens Museum, Greater London

Kew

in the county of Greater London

Pictures of Banbury

About Banbury

This is one of the best known town's in England. It was made famous by its celebrated cross of 1859, built in honour of the wedding of Prince Frederick of Prussia, it replaces an earlier cross believed to have been pulled down around 1600. Its other attribute is the famous nursery rhyme "Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross" the fine lady mentioned in the rhyme may have been Lady Godiva or Elizabeth I, she might even have been a local girl who rode in a May Day procession.

Banbury dates back to Saxon times. By the 13th-century it had become a noted centre of the wool trade. A castle was built here around 1135, it stood to the north of the Market Place on what is now Castle Quay shopping precinct. Of its former three crosses, only the High Cross which was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th-century remains, the others Bread Cross and White Cross have long disappeared, never to be replaced.

The beautiful parish church of St.Mary stands close to Banbury Cross, this was rebuilt at the end of the 18th-century to replace the original church burnt down in 1792. St.Mary's is a superb late Georgian building with an interior remodelled during the Victorian era. It is a richly decorated church with many treasures that are well worth seeing. The church is also a lovely place in which to spend a few moments of quiet prayer and reflection.

Banbury is a pleasant flower filled town with an attractive centre where there remains much of charm and character. There is a diverse range of shops, with a good mix of independent retailers and the usual high street stores. A market is held in the Market Place on Thursday's and Saturday. There is also a range of historic coaching inns, take a look at the exquisite herringbone brickwork of The New Flyer in Parsons Street, or visit Ye Olde Reindeer Inn which possibly dates from the 16th-century.

The town remains well known for its delicious Banbury cakes, still made in local bakeries and served in the town's cafe's and restaurants. The recipe for Banbury cakes has remained a well kept secret since the 16th-century.

Flowing through the town is the Oxford Canal, this offers new moorings for pleasure craft and scenic walks along its picturesque banks, home to a rich variety of wildlife. The peoples Park is built on land donated in 1899 when it was developed with a bandstand, bowling green and rose garden. It has a graceful War memorial in a pleasant grassed area, and more recent additions include a sensory garden, a children's play area and Aviary.

Several sections of the old Ironstone railway line still exist, these offer fine opportunities to explore the outstanding countryside surrounding Banbury.

A noted attraction is Upton House and Gardens, the house dates from the 17th-century and despite being heavily reworked in the 1920's remains an attractive place to visit. There is a fine collection of objects d'art including furniture, Brussels tapestries and superb paintings. The gardens are a joy with terraces, lake and a Doric temple.

Visitors to Banbury will find plenty of interest and an excellent choice of hotel accommodation.

Recommended towns & villages near Banbury

Wroxton University Parkland

Wroxton (26 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Oxfordshire

(2.7 miles, 4.3 km, direction W of Banbury)

Quintessential pretty Oxfordshire village showing a wealth of attractive thatched cottages, built mostly following a fire which struck the village during the latter half of the 17th-century...

Farnborough Hall 15 June 2011

Farnborough (4 Pictures) in the county of Warwickshire

(5.9 miles, 9.5 km, direction N of Banbury)

Traditionally known as the last outpost of the Cotswolds...

Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire. Ancestral home of George Washington's family

Sulgrave (2 Pictures) in the county of Northamptonshire

(7.1 miles, 11.5 km, direction NE of Banbury)

USA President George Washington's ancestral home in England...

St Mary & St Margarets

Combrook (4 Pictures) in the county of Warwickshire

(11.4 miles, 18.3 km, direction NW of Banbury)

A village to relish, set in leafy countryside bounded by quiet waterways...

Long Compton Village Church, Warwickshire

Long Compton (15 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Warwickshire

(11.4 miles, 18.3 km, direction SW of Banbury)

Long Compton is a small picturesque village in southern Warwickshire close with the border of Oxfordshire and on the edge of the Cotswolds, just 5 miles north of the wonderful.....

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Nearby attractions..

A picture of Brook Cottage Gardens, Alkerton

Brook Cottage Gardens, Alkerton (16 Pictures)

(5.3 miles, 8.5 km, direction W)

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Old Austin

Upton House & Gardens (55 Pictures)

(6.0 miles, 9.6 km, direction NW)

The impressive mansion, built in the 17th century on an earlier site, was remodelled in the 1920s by the 2nd Viscount Bearsted,.....

Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire. Ancestral home of George Washington's family

Sulgrave Manor (1 Pictures)

(7.7 miles, 12.3 km, direction NE)

This delightful Tudor house is the very epitome of the comfortable English country home, and yet it embodies all that is best of.....

Burton Dassett

Burton Dassett Hills Country Park (28 Pictures)

(7.8 miles, 12.6 km, direction NW)

This is a delightful country park covering almost 100 acres of rugged landscape full of rich and varied historical interest. The.....

Canons Ashby House, Northamptonshire

Canons Ashby House (44 Pictures)

(9.9 miles, 16.0 km, direction NE)

This house was originally part of an Augustinian Priory, it was only converted into a charming Elizabethan manor house during the.....

The King's Men, part of the megalithic Rollright Stones

Rollright Stones (12 Pictures)

(11.4 miles, 18.3 km, direction SW)

These Bronze-Age monolithic circles are third in importance only to Stone-Henge and Avebury. They are one of the most historic.....

Chastleton House, Oxfordshire. From the East

Chastleton House (7 Pictures)

(14.3 miles, 23.0 km, direction SW)

One of England's finest Jacobean manor houses, occupied by the same family from its construction in 1607 until 1991 when it.....


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