Churchill

I did another enjoyable U3A walk today, from Churchill in Oxfordshire.

This is the Churchill & Sarsden Heritage Centre, 'possibly the smallest museum in Oxfordshire'. It overlooks the site of the ‘lost’ village of Churchill, destroyed by fire in 1684. We were told the fire started after someone had routed their fire into a neighbour's chimney, to avoid paying a chimney tax.

'The old medieval village church fell into disrepair after the new All Saints' Church was built in 1826 in the centre of the village. Although the chancel was retained and used as a mortuary chapel and to house the memorials, its condition deteriorated and demolition was threatened in the 1980s. A Preservation Society was formed in 1988 to fight for its survival as the last medieval building in Churchill and, thanks to fund-raising and grants, over £30,000 was spent to restore the roof and building. The Heritage Centre opened in 2001 in the restored chancel.  In 2010, it was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to enable work on the maintenance of the building, enhance the displays and extend the projects of the centre.  The Centre is also being supported by grants from West Oxfordshire District Council and Friends of the Cotswolds'

It was a nice sunny day but the walk was quite muddy in places. A very nice pub lunch followed, quite pricey (it is Oxfordshire after all) but much better food and service than in Gloucestershire!