The best cycling routes around Farnborough

Chesteron Windmill was built in 1632 and is one of the oldest surviving windmills in England. It was originally used for grinding corn and has a rich history ties to the agricultural practices of the region.

Holy Trinity Church has its origins in the 1100s, undergoing modifications over the following years, with notable improvements undertaken during the 1400s. The Millennium route runs alongside this church, which we can follow if we want to enjoy a pleasant run in the area.

lovely cafe with nice food

Very good coffee and warm sausage rolls

The church of the HOLY TRINITY is on the west side of the SouthamCoventry road, in a small churchyard at the western end of the village. It consists of a chancel, nave, south aisle, west tower, north porch, and a vestry. The oldest part of the building is the south aisle, dating from early in the 13th century; the chancel, nave, and tower were built early in the 14th century, a clearstory was added to the nave in the 15th century and at the same time the nave arcade was rebuilt; the porch and vestry are modern. The church was restored in 1928. It is built of small roughly coursed limestone rubble with occasional squared blocks of red sandstone and red sandstone dressings. The chancel has a steep-pitched tiled roof, a plinth of one splay, and a moulded string-course at the sill level of the windows. On the east there is a large tracery window with a pointed arch of two splays, hood-mould, and five ogee-headed lights; the tracery and mullions are all modern. The south side is divided into three bays by buttresses with gabled heads, the centre bay having a pointed doorway with a hoodmould and head-stops, the arch mouldings being continued down the jambs. Each bay has a window with pointed arches of two splayed orders and three lights, the centre window has uncusped lights, the others cinquefoil. The north side is similar, but has a modern vestry built against it which encloses the door to the chancel; it is built of squared limestone with a steeppitched tiled roof, is lighted by pointed trefoil windows with hood-moulds, and has an entrance with a pointed arch on the west side. The south aisle roof is of steep pitch with modern copings and finials to the gables and at each end wide modern buttresses have been added. In the east wall there is a 14th-century window of three lights, similar to those in the chancel, but of one splay. The south side retains the coved string-course, with one gargoyle of the earlier low-pitched roof below the present eaves gutter; there is a similar cove to the nave, which also had a low-pitched roof, both contemporary with the clearstory. There are three windows; that to the east is similar to the one in the east wall, but of two lights, the others are lancets having hood-moulds with head-stops. The south door is between the lancets and has a semicircular arch of two moulded orders, the inner continued to the ground and the outer supported on attached shafts with foliated capitals; no bases are visible. The west end has a lancet window and above is the line of the earlier low-pitched roof. The north wall of the nave has been strengthened by a modern buttress in two stages at the west end and is partly built over the original one. To the east is a window of three lights with a segmental-pointed arch of two orders, the inner moulded, the outer a splay, the mullions being carried up to the arch without heads; it has a hood-mould with return ends. West of the window there is a buttress which terminates at the level of the original wall-head. Between the buttress and the porch is a modern pointed window with two trefoil lights. The porch is modern, with a tiled roof and a pointed entrance of two moulded orders supported on detached shafts with floriated capitals and moulded bases. The doorway has a richly moulded pointed arch, hood-mould with head-stops, and the mouldings continued down the jambs to splayed stops. West of the porch there is a window similar to the one to the east but with a pointed arch and two hollowsplayed orders. The clearstory has three windows on the north and south, placed towards the centre of the nave, each of two ogee trefoil lights of two hollow splays, with square heads and hood-moulds with returned ends. The tower, which is not divided into stages, has a plinth of one wide splay, diagonal buttresses on the west in four stages, terminating at the string-course of an embattled parapet with the bases of broken pinnacles at the angles, central gargoyles on each face, and crowned by the base of a destroyed octagonal spire. Both the buttresses to the east wall have had later buttresses added to their lower stages. The west face has a pointed tracery window of two splayed orders, the outer a deep one, two pointed trefoil lights, and a hood-mould with head-stops. Immediately above the apex of the window arch is a red sandstone band of sunk quatrefoils, which is carried round the north and east sides but omitted from the south, and a band of red sandstone at the sill level of the belfry windows. The belfry windows on all four faces have pointedsegmental arches, and two trefoil lights with transoms. The ringing-chamber has loop-lights on the north, west, and east, the one on the east now looking into the nave; on the north side there is a clock face. The chancel (47 ft. 10 in. by 21 ft. 7 in.) has plastered walls, modern open king-post roof, and stone paving, with two steps to the altar. On the east wall there are stone brackets, one on each side of the window, one carved, the other a plain splay. The window has a moulded, segmental-pointed rear-arch, and hood-mould with head-stops. The altar table, which dates from early in the 17th century, has four massive turned and carved legs, carved framing, and table top with a gadroon edge; behind it is a modern stone reredos. The south wall has a beak-moulded string-course at sill level, and the doorway a segmental rear-arch; the three windows have chamfered pointed rear-arches and hood-moulds with head-stops, and splayed reveals. Near the east wall there is a double piscina and sedilia under one hood formed by the string-course carried down at each end and finished with head-stops. The piscina has pointed moulded trefoil heads supported on a mullion with moulded capital and base under a pointed arch pierced with a trefoil. The three sedilia seats have pointed cinquefoil heads, pierced spandrels, crocketed gables with floriated finials, trefoil panels and headstops, supported on moulded shafts having floriated capitals and moulded bases. On the north side the string-course is continued and the windows follow those on the south side. To the east there is an Easter sepulchre with a trefoil pointed arch, its mouldings continued down the jambs; crocketed gable, floriated finials, and head-stops. Springing from the head-stops are plain pilasters with crocketed pinnacles and floriated finials. The doorway, now leading to the vestry, has, for no obvious reason, been reversed; it has a moulded pointed arch, the mouldings dying out on plain splayed jambs, and a hood-mould with head-stops. Above the doorway there is a monument with columns supporting an entablature with a semicircular pediment containing a square incised brass to John Bosworth, died 1674. At the top in the centre is the figure of a man kneeling in prayer with the initials J. B., to the left a woman and the name Ellinor, to the right a woman with the name Isabel. Below is an inscription recording his bequest of lands to provide 12 twopenny loaves every Sunday for poor inhabitants, and 10 yearly for a schoolmaster to teach the sons and daughters of the poor. The nave (57 ft. by 22 ft. 7 in.) has a modern tiled floor and a modern hammer-beam roof supported on 15th-century carved head corbels. The walls are plastered, except those below the sill level of the clearstory windows above the arcade. The original arcade was of four bays and in the 15th-century rebuilding the west bay was blocked and the walls reduced in thickness, leaving a springer and part of an arch in position against the west wall. At the eastern end part of the thicker arcade wall is visible below the corbel of the later arcade. The present arcade has three bays of pointed arches of two splayed orders, the inner splay hollow, supported on octagonal pillars with moulded capitals and bases on square pedestals with chamfered corners, at the east end on a corbel with paterae in a hollow moulding resting on a carved head; at the west end on a respond of half a pillar. There are paterae on the outer splay just above the capitals and at the apex of the arches. The clearstory windows on both sides of the nave have chamfered segmental reararches over wide-splayed jambs and sills. On the north the windows and the doorway have segmentalpointed rear-arches. The tower arch is pointed, of two splayed orders, the inner dying out on the wall, the outer continued to the floor on the nave side, and on the tower side both die out on the walls. Above the arch is a loop-light to the ringing-chamber and the band of quatrefoils continued from outside, level with the apex of the arch. There is a wide pointed arch of three moulded orders to the chancel, supported on three half-round shafts with moulded capitals and bases standing on dwarf walls 4 ft. high; on the chancel side the outer order stops on grotesque beasts crouching on the capitals. On the south side of the arch there is a squint with a trefoil head. A carved and traceried oak screen of 15th-century date, with double doors, has been cut and made up with modern work to fit the arch. Its mullions have been replaced with slender turned balusters, probably in the 17th century. The pulpit, placed on the north side of the chancel arch, is a large modern one of stone and coloured marble; and the font, which stands at the west end of the nave, is also modern, with a plain octagonal basin on a coloured marble shaft with a moulded capital and base. The south aisle (58 ft. 2 in. by 14 ft. 8 in.) has a modern open pitched roof, supported on earlier carved head corbels on the south wall and modern moulded corbels on the arcade. The window in the east wall has a semicircular rear-arch of one splay, hood-mould with head-stops, and wide-splayed reveals. The remaining windows have segmental-pointed arches over square jambs. At the east end of the south wall there is a piscina with a pointed trefoil head, the projecting quatrefoil basin and hood-mould have been cut away. In the south wall are two tomb recesses with pointed arches of two orders, the inner a trefoil of one splay supported on short shafts with moulded capitals and bases, the moulded outer order continues to the floor at the ends and the arches mitre in the centre. The tower (9 ft. 4 in. by 9 ft. 4 in.) has a modern tiled floor. In the centre of the north and south walls, about 5 ft. above the floor, there are incised crosses, partly concealed by a matchboarded dado. The west window has a segmental-pointed rear-arch, splayed jambs and sill. The ringing-chamber and belfry floors are supported on continuous projecting splayed strings instead of the more usual corbels or offsets. The plate consists of a silver flagon inscribed: 'Francis and Thermuthis Fauquier of Stoneythorpe 1795', a silver chalice and cover 1587, and a paten 1761. There are two bells by Hugh Watts, 1623 and 1636, and two others by Henry Bagley, 1649 and 1670.

Napton Lock No 12 is a minor waterways place on the Oxford Canal (Southern Section - Main Line) between Old Engine House Arm Junction (4¾ furlongs and 2 locks to the south) and Napton Junction (Junction of Grand Union and Oxford Canals) (2 miles and 4½ furlongs and 4 locks to the northeast). It is part of Napton Locks. The nearest place in the direction of Old Engine House Arm Junction is Napton Lock No 13; ¾ furlongs away. The nearest place in the direction of Napton Junction is Shut Bridge No 115; a few yards away.

Shut Bridge No 115 is a minor waterways place on the Oxford Canal (Southern Section - Main Line) between Old Engine House Arm Junction (5 furlongs and 3 locks to the south) and Napton Junction (Junction of Grand Union and Oxford Canals) (2 miles and 4½ furlongs and 4 locks to the northeast). It is part of Napton Locks. The nearest place in the direction of Old Engine House Arm Junction is Napton Lock No 12; a few yards away. The nearest place in the direction of Napton Junction is Napton Lock No 11; 1¼ furlongs away.

The parish church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, a large and imposing building in the local ironstone, consists of a nave of four lofty arches, a chancel with vestry at its north-east corner, north and south aisles which contain chapels at their eastern ends, a battlemented west tower, and a south porch. The south aisle is the Prescote and Williamscot aisle; the north aisle was called the Bourton aisle during the period of its use by the inhabitants of Bourton. The vestry contains a priest's chamber in its upper story. The oldest parts of the present building are the east portion of the south wall of the south aisle which contains a three-light window of c. 1300. From the early 14th century onwards the chancel, south aisle, nave, and, in the 15th century, the north aisle were successively rebuilt, and the chancel arch was enlarged to match the nave arcade; the two aisles were in the 15th century extended to form chapels, which over-lap the chancel. Mouldings on the nave arcade and on the tower and chancel arches are continuous to the ground without capitals. The porch dates from the 14th century and replaced an earlier porch; the tower was added in the late 14th century. In the Middle Ages there was a chapel or chantry of St. Fremund, perhaps in the parish church, to which money was bequeathed in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1549 the chapel, described as the late chantry chapel of St. Fruenna (sic) was sold by the Crown to George Owen and William Martin, together with its ground, lead, glass, iron, and stones. Probably the chantry was pulled down and the materials re-used. All memory of it had been lost by the end of the 19th century. The identification of the south or Prescote aisle of Cropredy church with St. Fremund's chapel was made by W. Wood in 1893, presumably on the grounds of its association with Prescote. In 18256 Cropredy church was repewed: the middle of the church was left as open sittings for the poor and surrounded by 'sleeping-boxes' and partitions were put up between the nave and the chancel and between the north chapel and the chancel. New inner and outer doors were installed in the porch, and the musicians' gallery was enlarged; the font was recased. The work was done mainly by a local contractor, Charles Cook. Some old materials were used in the work, the fine 14th century rood-screen being cut into pieces and used for railings. The blocked doorway which gave access to the rood-loft can be seen above the pulpit. A west porch, of which the upper part was timber-framed, was removed in the period 182550. Though Bishop Wilberforce thought the church 'very handsome' in 1855, by 1875 the vicar said that it was only in a 'tolerable' state of repair and much required reseating. In 1877 an extensive restoration was carried out under the direction of E. W. Christian. The lead of the roofs was relaid; the internal walls were restuccoed; the dilapidated south-east turret over the tower staircase was rebuilt; the gallery at the west end was removed and the tower arch opened; the level of the chancel floor, then mostly of lias, was raised and encaustic tiles laid down; the church was completely reseated and a mixed array of benches and chairs removed, extra seats having been installed in 1855 for the children of the new National school. A blocked double piscina in the south wall of the sanctuary was opened, as was an aumbry opposite. The church was again reseated in 1914, when the oak pews were designed by the architect Guy Dawber; the chancel was repaired in 1922; a hotwater heating system was installed in 1925 in place of slow-combustion stoves. The chancel and south aisle roofs were releaded in 1934. The church possesses an ancient oak chest, probably of the 13th century, with three iron clasps and locks; the carved wooden pulpit is late-medieval in character, but is said to have had the date 1619 carved on it. The pre-Reformation brass lectern is in the form of an eagle, and is the only one of its kind in the county outside Oxford. According to village tradition the eagle was hidden in the Cherwell to preserve it from the parliamentary troops on the eve of the battle of 1644, remaining there some 50 years; it had certainly emerged by 1695. In 1841 the eagle was 'sadly mutilated and the feet used as ornaments to a wooden desk'. One of the three lions which form the eagle's feet is of bronze and replaces a lost brass one. Some weapons and armour from the battlefield of 1644 hang in the north aisle. A brass chandelier for the chancel and a litany desk were among gifts given at the restoration of 1877. The medieval octagonal font was returned to the church in the mid 19th century after a long sojourn in the vicarage garden. There is also an octagonal font presented by Mrs. Tonge in 1853. Mural paintings discovered during the restoration of 1877 'perished from exposure to the weather and the workmen', except for the remains of a Doom over the chancel arch and one figure on the north wall of the north aisle. The north aisle had representations on one side of the north door of the Seven Deadly Sins and on the other of the Seven Works of Mercy, each in a medallion with a text, and there were portions of leaf and interlacing patterns in the chancel. The medieval rood-screen was reconstituted in 1877, furnished with new panels and a moulded crest, and re-erected on the south side of the chancel. A medieval screen is still in place at the east end of the south aisle; it contains many times over the initials A.D., probably for Anne Danvers (d. 1539), wife of John. The church has in the north aisle one fragment of 15th-century glass showing the head of a crowned female saint. The east window by Lavers, Barrand, and Westlake was given by the vicar and wardens in 1877. There are further memorial windows painted by Messrs. Heaton, Butler, and Bayne. In the south aisle and chapel are monuments to members of the families of Danvers and Gostelow of Prescote, and Calcott, Taylor, and Loveday of Williamscot. An inscription no longer existing but recorded in the early 18th century was to Elizabeth, wife of Richard Danvers (1482). Sir John Danvers (d. 1721) is commemorated by a brass plate in the floor of the south chapel and by a large marble monument, which formerly blocked a window in the south aisle but was moved to the north wall of the church. On the south chapel wall is a freestone monument to Walter Calcott (d. 1582) and his wife Alice, the inscription being largely defaced. In the south wall of the south aisle are two sepulchral arches, in one of which are the remains of a stone figure of a knight in chain armour. In the nave is a brass to Priscilla Plant of Great Bourton (d. 1637). In the chancel are memorials to a vicar, Francis Stanier (d. 1725), and his wife Mary; and to William Taylor of Williamscot (d. 1733) and his wife Abigail. The peal of six bells with a sanctus was cast in 1686 and 168990, by the Bagleys of Chacombe (Northants.). The tenor was evidently recast, for its inscription says that it was given by Calcott Chambre; the two brothers of that name were lords of Williamscot in the late 16th and early 17th century. In 1706 three bells and the sanctus bell were broken, and were ordered to be new cast with their own metal. The bells were rehung and their fittings renewed by Messrs. Warner in 1913. The church already had a clock in 1512 which was perhaps the clock repaired in 16945 and sold for 5s. in 171920; a new clock had been made for 6 in 171314 by an unnamed Daventry clockmaker. The clock surviving in 1966 was made by John Moore & Sons, Clerkenwell, in 1831; it was bought partly by subscription from Cropredy and Bourton and partly by subventions (18316) from the rent of the bell charity.  The bell charity dates from at least 1512, when Roger Lupton, Vicar of Cropredy, gave 6 13s. 4d. to find a person to keep Cropredy parish clock going hourly, and to ring bells at specified times. In 1614 the charity was stated to be also for the repair of the church. Two separate quarter yardlands in Wardington bought with the endowment in 1513 and 1517 were confiscated under the Chantries Act and sold to William Harrison, but were restored to the trustees in 1557.  At the inclosure of Wardington in 1762 the trustees were awarded 14 a., subsequently known as Bell Land, which in 1823 brought in an income of 32. The money was divided equally between the churchwardens of Cropredy and Bourton and the excess of the income over the sum paid to the parish clerk for ringing and winding the clock (4 10s.) saved Cropredy from raising its full church rate for many years. In 1966 the curfew was rung twice weekly at 6 p.m., and it was stated that a bell had been rung until recent times at 6 a.m. The church plate, besides a silver chalice of 1570 and a pewter paten, alms-dish, and flagon (the two last given by Mr. Holloway in 1666), includes what may be a small oval tin pyx, claimed to be the only medieval pyx still in existence in England, but is more probably a seal-skippet.  A churchyard cross was demolished in the Civil War. There is a sundial on the south wall of the church. Probably the most imposing tomb in the churchyard is that of John Chamberlin (1817) , and the oldest are two of 1631. In 1923 Mrs. George Barr, wife of Cropredy's vicar, gave 100 of which the income was to be used for mowing the churchyard; to this her husband added 50 in 1926. In 1966 the income was 6 10s. The churchyard may once have extended further east, in which direction many human bones were dug up in the 19th century. A burial ground adjoining the Mollington lane was consecrated in 1950. A mission hall, designed by W. E. Mills, was built near the church in 18879.