Northmoor, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Northmoor is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire
, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Oxford
and almost 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Witney
. Northmoor is in the valley of the River Thames
, which bounds the parish to the east and south, and is close to the River Windrush
which forms part of the parish's western boundary.
, then in Berkshire
, on the other side of the Thames.
In 1059 land at Northmoor was granted by Edward the Confessor
to St Denis Abbey in Paris
. Northmoor was created a separate parish in the 12th century, and a parish church
dedicated to Saint Denys
was then built. Nothing survives of this original building except the font
, which is Norman
. The earliest part of the present Church of England parish church
on the same site is the Early English Gothic chancel
, which was built in the 13th century. The chancel's east window is a set of three lancets
and it has another lancet in its south wall. The present nave
and north and south transept
s were built early in the 14th century. The bell tower
over the west bay
of the nave was added in the 15th century. The Gothic Revival architect
C.C. Rolfe carried out a sensitive restoration of building in 1887. The tower has a ring
of six bells.
Rectory Farm was built in the 16th century, and a date-stone over the entrance records alterations in 1629. The farm has also a half-timbered granary on stone stook
s and a timber-framed dovecote
, both from the 16th or 17th centuries.
There used to be a flash lock
on the Thames on the southern edge of the parish at Hart's Weir, also known as Ridge's Weir. In 1879 Hart's Weir Footbridge
was built at the site, and in 1896 the weir and flash lock were replaced with a pound lock, Northmoor Lock
, southeast of the village.
There is a proposal to use 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of Northmoor parish for gravel extraction.
, the Red Lion and a village hall
.
Northmoor is in a part of the Upper Thames Valley that has been designated an Environmentally Sensitive Conservation Area. There are many bridleways and footpaths. The village is on the Oxfordshire cycle network. Pleasure boats can be hired locally.
The nearest village store and post office are 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Standlake
. Stagecoach in Oxfordshire routes 18 and 18A give Northmoor an hourly link with Oxford, Eynsham
, Stanton Harcourt
, Aston
and Bampton
. There is no evening or Sunday service.
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and almost 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
. Northmoor is in the valley of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, which bounds the parish to the east and south, and is close to the River Windrush
River Windrush
The River Windrush is a river in the English Cotswolds, forming part of the River Thames catchment.The Windrush starts in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire northeast of Taddington, which is north of Guiting Power, Temple Guiting, Ford and Cutsdean...
which forms part of the parish's western boundary.
History
In the 11th century the place was known simply as More or Moor, meaning marsh. The prefix North was added by the 13th century, distinguishing the village from SouthmoorSouthmoor
Southmoor is a village in the civil parish of Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor, about west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Traditionally part of Berkshire, the 1974 boundary changes transferred local government to Oxfordshire....
, then in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, on the other side of the Thames.
In 1059 land at Northmoor was granted by Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
to St Denis Abbey in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Northmoor was created a separate parish in the 12th century, and a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
dedicated to Saint Denys
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
was then built. Nothing survives of this original building except the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, which is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. The earliest part of the present Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
on the same site is the Early English Gothic chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, which was built in the 13th century. The chancel's east window is a set of three lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
and it has another lancet in its south wall. The present nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s were built early in the 14th century. The bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
over the west bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
of the nave was added in the 15th century. The Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
C.C. Rolfe carried out a sensitive restoration of building in 1887. The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells.
Rectory Farm was built in the 16th century, and a date-stone over the entrance records alterations in 1629. The farm has also a half-timbered granary on stone stook
Stook
A stook, also referred to as a shock is a circular or rounded arrangement of swathes of cut grain stalks placed on the ground in a field. Typically sheaves of grains such as wheat, barley and oats may be 'stooked' so they are ready for threshing....
s and a timber-framed dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
, both from the 16th or 17th centuries.
There used to be a flash lock
Flash lock
Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....
on the Thames on the southern edge of the parish at Hart's Weir, also known as Ridge's Weir. In 1879 Hart's Weir Footbridge
Hart's Weir Footbridge
Hart's Weir Footbridge is a single-span concrete footbridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. Locally, it is also known as Rainbow Bridge, due to its rainbow-arc appearance as seen from the horizon...
was built at the site, and in 1896 the weir and flash lock were replaced with a pound lock, Northmoor Lock
Northmoor Lock
Northmoor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, on the northern bank about a mile from Northmoor.The lock was built in 1896 by the Thames Conservancy to replace a flash lock at Hart's Weir, also known as Ridge's Weir, about a mile upstream and another at Ark Weir downstream...
, southeast of the village.
There is a proposal to use 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of Northmoor parish for gravel extraction.
Amenities
Northmoor has a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Red Lion and a village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.
Northmoor is in a part of the Upper Thames Valley that has been designated an Environmentally Sensitive Conservation Area. There are many bridleways and footpaths. The village is on the Oxfordshire cycle network. Pleasure boats can be hired locally.
The nearest village store and post office are 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Standlake
Standlake
Standlake is a village and civil parish about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Brighthampton. The River Windrush flows past the village and with its tributary Medley Brook it forms much of the eastern boundary of the parish. The western boundary has been...
. Stagecoach in Oxfordshire routes 18 and 18A give Northmoor an hourly link with Oxford, Eynsham
Eynsham
Eynsham is a village and civil parish about east of Witney in Oxfordshire, England.-History:Eynsham grew up near the historically important ford of Swinford on the River Thames flood plain...
, Stanton Harcourt
Stanton Harcourt
Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford.-Archaeology:Within the parish of Stanton Harcourt is a series of paleochannel deposits buried beneath the second gravel terrace of the river Thames...
, Aston
Aston, Oxfordshire
Aston is a village about south of Witney in West Oxfordshire, England. It is also 3.3 Miles from Ducklington. The village is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney. The southern boundary of the parish is the River Thames.-History:Until the 19th century Aston was a township...
and Bampton
Bampton, Oxfordshire
Bampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....
. There is no evening or Sunday service.