Ruscote
Encyclopedia
The Ruscote, Hardwick and Hanwell Fields estates are three interconnecting Banbury
estates that were built between the 1930s and first decade of the 21st century.
settlement with circular buildings dating back to 200 BC were found. The site contained around 150 pieces of pottery and stone. Later there was a Roman villa
at nearby Wykham Park. A small drinking-water reservoir lies to the north of Hennef way. The major road was named after Hennef
in Germany
.
Ruscote was a local village, that dated back to the 15th century, but did not develop until the late 19th century. It was formally incorporated into the borough
of Banbury in 1889.
The 1919 Housing Act was followed by the building of the Easington housing estate of 361 council houses in what was one of the first slum clearance schemes in the country. By 1930 the medical officer reported 131 Banbury town centre houses unfit for habitation. So in 1933 Banbury council opened the Ruscote housing estate of 160 houses. The heavy increase in population between 1931 and 1949 was accommodated by the expansion of the town in three main areas, in each of which houses were built both by the town corporation and by housing private companies. The three areas were between the Oxford and Bloxham roads, where about 500 houses were built before 1939 to form the bulk suburb of Easington; in the area of the older village and suburb of Neithrop, where before 1939 some 500 houses were built both around the earlier houses and further west in new streets on either side of the Warwick road, a development which was extended to the south-west after 1945. In 1933 Banbury council opened the Ruscote housing estate of 160 houses, for working class
families.
The estate, which now has a notable South Asian community, was expanded in the 1950s because of the growth of the town due to the London overspill
and further grew in the mid-1960s.
(OIR) was opened between 1917 and 1919, was closed in 1967 and the line was lifted between 1967 and 1968. It was a major employer in Banbury for many of those years.
The mid 1950s
saw the council establish the Southam Road Industrial Estate which was successful in bringing a wide range of industries to the town. The most important newcomer at the time was General Foods Ltd, formerly Alfred Bird & Sons, and now Kraft Foods
, which produced convenience foods, like custard
and instant coffee
. The plant was built between 1964 and 1965 and the company moved to Banbury from Birmingham in 1965. General Foods
received active political and fiscal co-operation from the council to partly help find jobs for the local London overspill
population. Kraft Foods Banbury is the Kraft
centre of manufacturing in Britain, with the Kraft UK headquarters located at Cheltenham
. A new factory with a 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) floor space was being constructed in 1969 for Encase Ltd and a factory was being built for Demag Hoists and Cranes Ltd., a subsidiary of Demag Zug, one of the world's largest manufacturers of lifting equipment. The industrial estate had become one of the 'economic epicentres' of the Banburyshire
region by the early 1970s.
As time passed both the local Kraft Foods Banbury
plant, which is still sometimes known as General Foods
after the American company which originally owned the building, and the Beaumont industrial estate and Lockheed Drive retail estate would become the leading employers for Ruscote and Hardwick estates, if not the town in general in Kraft's case. During October 2006, a warehouse block that was being prepared for demolition, belonging to Kraft Foods, caught on fire and remained on fire for most of the day. There was a notable, but thankfully non-lethal, fire at the coffee plant on Tuesday 7 December 2010. In Spring 2010, a lorry load of Kenco Coffee
was stolen by a driver who conned his way into the plant.
The Ruscote Arcade and the Hillview Arcade are another two shopping facilities on the estate.
There is one other minor children's play park elseware.
There were some concerns over anti-social behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park and that fly-tipping
in Banbury
also affects some streets and footpaths such as on the Ironstones’ paths.
.
In 1247 The hundred of Banbury was valued at £5 a year and in 1441 'certainty money' (a form of rent) due from the northern part of the hundred was 89s. 8d. It was made up of payments from Shutford
, Claydon
, Swalcliffe
, Great Bouton and Little Bourton, Prescote
, Hardwick, Calthorpe
and Neithrop, Wickham
, Wardington
, Williamscot, Swalcliffe Lea, and the former ‘prebend’ of Banbury
. By 1568 these, except the rent from Wardington and amounted to 69s. 4d. in 1652, when the total profits of court were valued at 103s. 4d. a year in ‘certainty money’. In 1875 payments were made only by Williamscot, Swalcliffe, Prescote, Great and Little Bourton, Neithrop, Claydon, and Shutford since the rest were freed from their rent obligations.
Hardwick was a Medieval hamlet that did not expand much until the late 19th century and was formally incorporated into the borough
of Banbury in 1889. It became a minor village in the late 1930s and finally a housing estate in the late 1950s.
annually for a mill in Hardwick hammlet.
The Northern Aluminium Co. Ltd. or Alcan Industries Ltd.
pig and rolled Aluminium
factory was opened in 1931 on land the firm had bought in 1929 on the east of the Southam road, in the then hamlet of Hardwick. Output had reached such an extent that in the early 1950s that Banbury's economy had become dependent on the plant’s prosperity , with 24%, of the town's workers being employed there. At this time 13% were employed in distribution, 7% in clothing and 5% in agriculture. The former Alcan factory that helped build parts for Spitfire fighters aircraft during the Second World War. The Alcan Laboratories Club was founded in 1948 by the lab technicians to promote the wellbeing of the workforce in general. As a result the village began to grow.
The Alcan various facilities on the 53-acre site closed between 2006 and 2007. The factory was demolished between 2008 sand 2009. The laboratory was also demolished in 2009.
Most of the estate built in the 1970s because of the growth of the town due to the Birmingham overspill and a slum clearance scheme in Smethwick
. Some Welsh
families have moved in since. It was expanded further in the mid-1980s. The main shopping facility is the now partly closed Hardwick arcade.
There were some concerns over anti-social behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park and that fly-tipping in Banbury
also affects some streets and footpaths such as on the Ironstones’ paths.
times. Local villagers farmed the parish of Hanwell, Oxfordshire
and it's related lands on a two-field open field system
until 1768, when Sir Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet bought out the rights of copyhold
ers, life- and lease
holders and enclosed
the common lands.
In 1645 during the English Civil War, Parliamentary
troops were billeted in nearby Hanwell village
for nine weeks and villagers petitioned the Warwickshire Committee of Accounts to pay for feeding them.
In modern times, the rather upmarket estate, which lies between Banbury
and Hanwell
, was built in between 2001 and 2006, with a minor extension occurring in 2008 on the grounds of the former Hanwell Farm, which has become one of the constuent houses, due to the natural growth of the town's commuter population. It's inhabitants are overwlmingly non-ethnic, save for the odd Serbian
and Polish
family,
It was heavy flooded for a few days in 2007 due to heavy rainfall. The estate has only one convenience store and one small pub, with most of the residents going further in to town to their shopping. Most of them are part of London
's commuter population.
There is a major 'green space' made up of grassy fiels and seating to the north, which may be partly built on if planning permission is granted.
ward but for the first time, during the 2006 local elections for Cherwell District Council, the Ruscote ward changed to one Labour
councillor and one Conservative Party
councillor. The traditionally present Green party
candidate lost in 2006.
The Conservatives held the ward for the Banbury Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council out right as of 2010.
The UKIP or British National Party
fielded no candidates in the ward during 2006. A lone Liberal Democrat ran and lost in the Hardwick estate during 2006.
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
estates that were built between the 1930s and first decade of the 21st century.
History
During excavations for the building of an office in Hennef Way in 2002, the remains of a British Iron AgeBritish Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
settlement with circular buildings dating back to 200 BC were found. The site contained around 150 pieces of pottery and stone. Later there was a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
at nearby Wykham Park. A small drinking-water reservoir lies to the north of Hennef way. The major road was named after Hennef
Hennef
Hennef is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 7 km south-east of Siegburg and 15 km east of Bonn. Hennef is the fourth biggest town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Hennef (Sieg) is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district of...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Ruscote was a local village, that dated back to the 15th century, but did not develop until the late 19th century. It was formally incorporated into the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Banbury in 1889.
The 1919 Housing Act was followed by the building of the Easington housing estate of 361 council houses in what was one of the first slum clearance schemes in the country. By 1930 the medical officer reported 131 Banbury town centre houses unfit for habitation. So in 1933 Banbury council opened the Ruscote housing estate of 160 houses. The heavy increase in population between 1931 and 1949 was accommodated by the expansion of the town in three main areas, in each of which houses were built both by the town corporation and by housing private companies. The three areas were between the Oxford and Bloxham roads, where about 500 houses were built before 1939 to form the bulk suburb of Easington; in the area of the older village and suburb of Neithrop, where before 1939 some 500 houses were built both around the earlier houses and further west in new streets on either side of the Warwick road, a development which was extended to the south-west after 1945. In 1933 Banbury council opened the Ruscote housing estate of 160 houses, for working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
families.
The estate, which now has a notable South Asian community, was expanded in the 1950s because of the growth of the town due to the London overspill
London overspill
London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...
and further grew in the mid-1960s.
Industry and commerce
The Oxfordshire Ironstone RailwayOxfordshire Ironstone Railway
The Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway was a standard gauge mineral railway that served an ironstone quarry near the village of Wroxton in Oxfordshire.-The line's History:...
(OIR) was opened between 1917 and 1919, was closed in 1967 and the line was lifted between 1967 and 1968. It was a major employer in Banbury for many of those years.
The mid 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
saw the council establish the Southam Road Industrial Estate which was successful in bringing a wide range of industries to the town. The most important newcomer at the time was General Foods Ltd, formerly Alfred Bird & Sons, and now Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, which produced convenience foods, like custard
Custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
and instant coffee
Instant coffee
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated...
. The plant was built between 1964 and 1965 and the company moved to Banbury from Birmingham in 1965. General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
received active political and fiscal co-operation from the council to partly help find jobs for the local London overspill
London overspill
London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...
population. Kraft Foods Banbury is the Kraft
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
centre of manufacturing in Britain, with the Kraft UK headquarters located at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
. A new factory with a 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) floor space was being constructed in 1969 for Encase Ltd and a factory was being built for Demag Hoists and Cranes Ltd., a subsidiary of Demag Zug, one of the world's largest manufacturers of lifting equipment. The industrial estate had become one of the 'economic epicentres' of the Banburyshire
Banburyshire
-Location:Banburyshire is an informal area of England that is centred on the market town of Banbury. The county of Oxfordshire has two main commercial centres, the city of Oxford itself that serves most of the south of the county, and Banbury that serves the north plus parts of the...
region by the early 1970s.
As time passed both the local Kraft Foods Banbury
Kraft Foods Banbury
Kraft Foods in the Ruscote ward of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England is a large food and coffee producing factory in the north of the town.It was built in 1964 and was partly due to the London overspill...
plant, which is still sometimes known as General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
after the American company which originally owned the building, and the Beaumont industrial estate and Lockheed Drive retail estate would become the leading employers for Ruscote and Hardwick estates, if not the town in general in Kraft's case. During October 2006, a warehouse block that was being prepared for demolition, belonging to Kraft Foods, caught on fire and remained on fire for most of the day. There was a notable, but thankfully non-lethal, fire at the coffee plant on Tuesday 7 December 2010. In Spring 2010, a lorry load of Kenco Coffee
Kenco
Kenco is a brand of instant coffee, and roast & ground coffee distributed by Kraft Foods in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Originally known as the Kenya Coffee Company, they started distributing coffee to Britain in 1923...
was stolen by a driver who conned his way into the plant.
The Ruscote Arcade and the Hillview Arcade are another two shopping facilities on the estate.
Recreational areas and parks
- Both Hillview Park and Ruscote Park are 2 large, co-joined, parks situated in the middle of the estate, and connecting to a children’s play park that leads down between the local shopping complexes at the Ruscote Arcade and the Hillveiw Arcade.
- A small extension, known locally as the Aldi Park and/or the Co-Op Park, is set across the road by the town’s AldiALDIALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
store. Both parks have many facilities, including monkey bars, swings, football pitches and basketball courts. Together the 3 parks measure approx. 45,000m2.
There is one other minor children's play park elseware.
There were some concerns over anti-social behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park and that fly-tipping
Fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is a British term for dumping waste illegally instead of in an authorised rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, i.e...
in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
also affects some streets and footpaths such as on the Ironstones’ paths.
History
One of the first records of the hammlet of Hardwick was in the year 1279 when 'Laurence of Hardwick' was paying rent for a local mill to the Bishop of LincolnBishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
.
In 1247 The hundred of Banbury was valued at £5 a year and in 1441 'certainty money' (a form of rent) due from the northern part of the hundred was 89s. 8d. It was made up of payments from Shutford
Shutford
Shutford is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The village is about above sea level.-History:The manor house was built in the last quarter of the 16th century. In 1928 the architect Walter Tapper added a western extension and northwest wing...
, Claydon
Claydon, Oxfordshire
Claydon is a village in Claydon with Clattercot civil parish, about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The village is about above sea level on a hill of Early Jurassic Middle Lias clay. Claydon is the northernmost village in Oxfordshire...
, Swalcliffe
Swalcliffe
Swalcliffe is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury, Oxfordshire.-History:North of the village are the site of an Iron Age hill fort on Madmarston Hill, the site of a Roman villa at Swalcliffe Lea, and course of a former Roman Road...
, Great Bouton and Little Bourton, Prescote
Prescote
Prescote is a hamlet and civil parish about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire Its boundaries are the River Cherwell in the southeast, a tributary of the Cherwell called Highfurlong Brook in the west, and Oxfordshire's boundary with Northamptonshire in the northeast.-History:Prescote's toponym...
, Hardwick, Calthorpe
Calthorpe, Oxfordshire
Calthorpe is a ward in the town of Banbury, Oxfordshire. It contains the Cherwell Heights Estate and the Calthorpe estate.-History:Calthorpe was once a small village outside Banbury...
and Neithrop, Wickham
Wickham
Wickham, formerly spelled Wykeham, is a small historic village and civil parish in Hampshire, southern England, located about three miles north of Fareham. It is within the City of Winchester local government district, although it is considerably closer to Fareham than to Winchester...
, Wardington
Wardington
Wardington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northeast of Banbury. The village consists of two parts, Lower Wardington and Upper Wardington...
, Williamscot, Swalcliffe Lea, and the former ‘prebend’ of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. By 1568 these, except the rent from Wardington and amounted to 69s. 4d. in 1652, when the total profits of court were valued at 103s. 4d. a year in ‘certainty money’. In 1875 payments were made only by Williamscot, Swalcliffe, Prescote, Great and Little Bourton, Neithrop, Claydon, and Shutford since the rest were freed from their rent obligations.
Hardwick was a Medieval hamlet that did not expand much until the late 19th century and was formally incorporated into the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Banbury in 1889. It became a minor village in the late 1930s and finally a housing estate in the late 1950s.
Industry and commerce
The presence of local industry was recorded as far back as the year 1279, when 'Laurence of Hardwick' was paying 3 Marks in rent to the Bishop of LincolnBishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
annually for a mill in Hardwick hammlet.
The Northern Aluminium Co. Ltd. or Alcan Industries Ltd.
Alcan
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...
pig and rolled Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
factory was opened in 1931 on land the firm had bought in 1929 on the east of the Southam road, in the then hamlet of Hardwick. Output had reached such an extent that in the early 1950s that Banbury's economy had become dependent on the plant’s prosperity , with 24%, of the town's workers being employed there. At this time 13% were employed in distribution, 7% in clothing and 5% in agriculture. The former Alcan factory that helped build parts for Spitfire fighters aircraft during the Second World War. The Alcan Laboratories Club was founded in 1948 by the lab technicians to promote the wellbeing of the workforce in general. As a result the village began to grow.
The Alcan various facilities on the 53-acre site closed between 2006 and 2007. The factory was demolished between 2008 sand 2009. The laboratory was also demolished in 2009.
Most of the estate built in the 1970s because of the growth of the town due to the Birmingham overspill and a slum clearance scheme in Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
. Some Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
families have moved in since. It was expanded further in the mid-1980s. The main shopping facility is the now partly closed Hardwick arcade.
Schools
The estate is served by 4 schools.- Hardwick Community School Ferriston Rd., Banbury.
- Hardwick Primary School Ferriston Rd., Banbury
- Hardwick And Arden Pre-school
- Hardwick School.
Private health clinic
Hardwick Surgery is a privately run heath centre in Ferriston Rd., BanburyRecreational areas and parks
- The Ironstones Play Area , near Ferriston Rd. was recently upgraded at a cost of a budget of £70,000. it is situated in the large Ironstones Park. The Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) floor surface was removed during the 2007 renovation work, in favour of a safer ATP Rubberized Unitary Surface due to kids throwing the wood chips at each other, leading to a serious eye injury occurring in 2005.
- The Ironstone Park is a parkUrban parkAn urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
in the HardwickHardwick, CherwellHardwick is a village about north of Bicester in Oxfordshire.-Manor:The village's toponym comes from the Old English for a farm or dwelling place for sheep. After the Norman Conquest of England Walter Giffard held the manor of Hardwick, but the Domesday Book records that by 1086 he had given it to...
ward of BanburyBanburyBanbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
in the EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It is an average size park that it situated off ironstones (street). There is a medium size children's play area and a Large field measuring approx 18,000m2. It is adjacent to Hardwick School.
- The Hereford Way Play Park is a small play park.
- The Sussex Drive Play Park is a small play park.
- The Magnolias Park is a major park and contains the Magnolias Play Park.
There were some concerns over anti-social behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park and that fly-tipping in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
also affects some streets and footpaths such as on the Ironstones’ paths.
Hanwell Fields
History
I has been farmland since at least NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
times. Local villagers farmed the parish of Hanwell, Oxfordshire
Hanwell, Oxfordshire
Hanwell is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, northwest of Banbury.-Early history:Remains of a substantial Roman villa have been found just west of the B4100 main road....
and it's related lands on a two-field open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
until 1768, when Sir Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet bought out the rights of copyhold
Copyhold
At its origin in medieval England, copyhold tenure was tenure of land according to the custom of the manor, the "title deeds" being a copy of the record of the manorial court....
ers, life- and lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
holders and enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
the common lands.
In 1645 during the English Civil War, Parliamentary
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
troops were billeted in nearby Hanwell village
Hanwell, Oxfordshire
Hanwell is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, northwest of Banbury.-Early history:Remains of a substantial Roman villa have been found just west of the B4100 main road....
for nine weeks and villagers petitioned the Warwickshire Committee of Accounts to pay for feeding them.
In modern times, the rather upmarket estate, which lies between Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
and Hanwell
Hanwell, Oxfordshire
Hanwell is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, northwest of Banbury.-Early history:Remains of a substantial Roman villa have been found just west of the B4100 main road....
, was built in between 2001 and 2006, with a minor extension occurring in 2008 on the grounds of the former Hanwell Farm, which has become one of the constuent houses, due to the natural growth of the town's commuter population. It's inhabitants are overwlmingly non-ethnic, save for the odd Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
family,
It was heavy flooded for a few days in 2007 due to heavy rainfall. The estate has only one convenience store and one small pub, with most of the residents going further in to town to their shopping. Most of them are part of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's commuter population.
Recreational areas and parks
- The Winter Gardens Way Children's Play Park is well maintaine and has 1 bench, 1 playground slidePlayground slidePlayground slides are found in parks, schools, playgrounds and backyards. The slide may be flat, or half cylindrical or tubular to prevent falls. Slides are usually constructed of plastic or metal and they have a smooth surface that is either straight or wavy...
and a Spring riderSpring riderA spring rider or spring rocker is an bouncy, outdoors playing device consisting of a metal spring beneath a plastic or wooden central beam or flange, with 1 to 4 plastic or fiberglass seats above it. When a person sits on it, the structure moves and bounces...
. Unfortunately it is only about 10 ft (3 m) X 12 ft in area. - The Ashmead Close Play Park is a small children's play park.
- The Usher Drive Park is a small park on the edge of town and contains the Usher Drive Play Park.
- The Sage Close Play Park is a small play park.
- The Pitmania Road Play Park is a small play park.
- The Medowsweet Close Park and children's play park is roughly ⅔ the size of Princess Diana Park and contains the Medowsweet Close Play Park .
- The Rosedale Green is a small picknick site and park.
There is a major 'green space' made up of grassy fiels and seating to the north, which may be partly built on if planning permission is granted.
Planned expansion
A nearby field to the north is under planning review pending a formal application for the building of another 20 houses and a corner shop.Transport
The local bus services to Banbury town centre and the Hardwick and Ruscote estate are run by the Stagecoach Oxfordshire bus company. Hayfordian busses also run a service to the Hardwick estate and Hanwell Fields via the local Tescos and the Barley Mow pub. Cheney Coaches also ran a service that ran parallel to most of the Stagecoach route between 1996 and 2004.Local politics
The Ruscote and Hardwick wards were traditionally a LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
ward but for the first time, during the 2006 local elections for Cherwell District Council, the Ruscote ward changed to one Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor and one Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
councillor. The traditionally present Green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
candidate lost in 2006.
The Conservatives held the ward for the Banbury Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council out right as of 2010.
The UKIP or British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
fielded no candidates in the ward during 2006. A lone Liberal Democrat ran and lost in the Hardwick estate during 2006.