Such was the demand for this tour that it took place over two days in May – 19th and 20th . Our route followed the River Cherwell through the Akeman Benefice from Middleton Stoney to Hampton Poyle. We started at the 12th century church of All Saints (Grade II*) Middleton Stoney in the grounds of the beautiful Jersey Estate The recent award of a substantial grant from the Virdidor Trust will allow the custodians to at last carry out much needed maintenance work and reordering. Our next stop was St Mary the Virgin (Grade II*) Kirtlington, where we had a fascinating talk from Margaret Forey, a hugely knowledgeable local historian.
This was followed by lunch at the Oxford Arms in Kirtlington and then on to the neighbouring village of Bletchingdon. Depending on which side of the village you live some call it Bletchington! St Giles Church (Grade II*), Bletchingdon was once the home of Christopher Wren’s sister who was married to the vicar. For some time he also lived there with his father.
The afternoon concluded with a visit to St Giles Church (Grade II*) Hampton Poyle with its tiny Georgian chapel situated in a quintessentially English setting in the middle of a lush hay meadow. The comprehensive rebuild of the church in the 18th century attracted criticism from the Gothic revivalists in the 19th century for being too Georgian!
Apart from a torrential downpour on the Friday visit to Kirtlington, the rest of that day and the Saturday visit were in glorious sunshine. Spirits remained high throughout !
Watch out for news of an autumn tour this year.
