The best running trails around Harbury

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.

Nearby dog friendly beer garden at The Shakespeare pub

Two wheatfields to cycle through, no problem. The final bit to the M40 crossing more overgrown so a bit of Hike A Bike. one point appeard closed off by barbed wire but overgrown willow on path leading to B'way gate to bridge over the Mway

That is one big windmill, it must be so efficient where it is...

The remains of a Medieval cross. Only the carved head survives; the base and the shaft are modern. It stands in the churchyard of St Michael's Church, Ufton. Close to the S entrance to the churchyard there is a cross, the head of which dates from the close of the 14th century. It has four panelled sides with trefoils, crocketed heads, small crocketed pinnacles at the angles, and a crocketed pyramidal top surmounted by a finial. The four panels have carved figures of St Chad, St Catherine, the Crucifixion and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cross head was dug up in the churchyard and after restoration it was provided with a new shaft and base before being set up in 1862.

The parish church of All Saints, Harbury. It was first built in the Medieval period, but rebuilt and much altered in more recent times (Imperial period). The church is situated to the south east of Harbury Hall. Church. C13. Tower later C13, with top part possibly 1811. Restored and enlarged 1873: nave largely rebuilt, south aisle widened, north aisle and organ chamber/vestry added. Chancel, south aisle and tower of squared coursed limestone rubble. Chancel has some sandstone and sandstone dressings. South aisle has ironstone dressings. Upper part of tower of Flemish bond brick. Nave, north aisle and chapel of regular coursed limestone with ironstone dressings. Tile roofs have coped stone gable parapets with weatherings and kneelers and remains of cross finials. Stone stack. Aisled nave, chancel, north chapel and south-west tower. 2-bay chancel, 5-bay nave. Buttresses of 2 offsets throughout. Chancel has splayed plinth. Diagonal buttresses. C19 geometrical and bar tracery and hood moulds with block stops throughout. 3-light east window. Small studded plank south door in chamfered surround. 2 straight-headed 2-light traceried windows. Small C13 low-side chamfered lancet. C13 north lancet. South aisle has diagonal and south buttresses. 3-light east window. C19 Early English style double-leaf south door in angle abutting tower has inner continuous roll moulding and roll moulded arch on nook shafts. Two 3-light windows. Nave has shallow south-west and large north-west buttress. 4-light west window. Organ chamber/vestry has 3-light east window. Chamfered north doorway. Lateral stack with offsets. North aisle has east angle, west diagonal and north buttresses. Doorway in fourth bay, similar to south side, has moulded arch with nailhead. 3-light windows; second bay has reticulated tracery. 3-light west window. Tower of 3 stages has massive west setback buttresses of 4 offsets. South buttress has painted sundial. South east clasping buttress. South and west lancets. Second stage, partly of 1811, has south clock face of c.1835 set in lozenge panel. Small round-arched window, largely of brick, above. Small blocked west window. Moulded string course. Third stage has clasping buttresses. Small round-arched bell openings with wooden louvres and cut-out quatrefoils. Plain cornice. Crenellated parapet. Interior: chancel has C19 hammerbeam roof. Wide segmental-pointed arch of 2 chamfered orders to organ chamber and vestry. Wide chancel arch of 2 continuous chamfered orders. 3-bay south arcade of c.1300, of 2 chamfered orders with bar stops, and octagonal piers with moulded capitals. Similar 5-bay north arcade of 1873. Wide south tower arch of 3 chamfered orders, the outer segmental-pointed and the inner with moulded imposts. Nave, aisles and chapel have arched braced queen strut roofs of 1873, with wind braces to nave. Organ chamber has arch to aisle of 2 chamfered orders, the outer segmental-pointed. South aisle has timber internal porch. Renewed west arch to tower of 3 chamfered orders, the inner with moulded imposts, the outer segmental pointed. Fittings: mostly of c.1873. Carved stone reredos. Chancel has encaustic tiled floor. Octagonal font. Timber octagonal pulpit, north aisle screen and benches. Chancel and south aisle have mid C18 communion rails with column-on-vase balusters, those in aisle possibly imported from elsewhere. Early C17 carved chest. Stained glass: east and chancel north windows c.1873. Chancel south east 1890, centre 1899, south-west 1897. Tower south c.1873. Monuments: tower east: early C18. Wall monument with Corinthian pilasters. The work carried out in 1873 cost £4,000.

The windmill is a tower type built between 1802 and 1812, using derelict stone from Chesterton Manor. When built, the windmill had a stone lower part, while the upper part was a red brick tower with batter. It had an Iron sheeted boat shaped cap with wheel and lulling gear, windshaft with poll end and brake wheel, four sails with staging, three pairs of stones and machinery. It is a six storey building with a total height of 70 feet. 20th century history The windmill ceased working by sail in 1912 and was powered firstly by a steam engine, then by an oil engine and from the 1930s. Finally, it was powered by electricity until 1952 when it ceased milling. The stocks were removed in 1934. The boat shaped cap was removed in 1982 and replaced with a larger looking pitched roof. It became a Grade II listed building on 7th January 1952, and in 1988 the lower floors became part of a house.

Church. Early C13 origins, with C14, C13 and C16 alterations and additions. Restored 1860 and 1881. Squared coursed lias and some limestone with sandstone dressings. Plain-tile chancel and nave roofs with decorative flashing, and lead aisle roofs. Chancel, aisled nave and west tower. Chancel of 2 bays with offset diagonal buttresses and coped gable to east with cross at apex. Restored east window of 3 lights, the central light cusped, with mullions continuing to apex of moulded pointed arch. C14 ogee-headed doorway with hood mould in south wall, with C19 plank door. Blocked single light with cusped head and moulded surround to left, with restored square-headed window of 2 cusped lights to right. North chancel wall has corresponding blocked single light and square-headed 2-light window, partly restored. Nave of 4 bays with chamfered plinth to north aisle, moulded eaves cornice to south aisle and coped gables. Three C19 windows in south aisle wall, of one and 2 cusped lights within square heads with hood moulds and labels. Square-headed window in east wall of 3 cusped lights with panel tracery in spandrels. Single ogee-headed light to west wall with pointed hood mould and labels. Rebuilt porch with diagonal buttresses. Pointed-arch doorway of 2 orders with hood mould and labels. Single ogee-headed lights to east and west. C13 south door restored and probably re-used from original nave. Pointed arch of 2 chamfered orders, the outer order supported on detached shafts with moulded base and capital with nail-head moulding. C19 plank door. North aisle has square-headed window of 2 ogee-headed lights with hood mould to north and east, with window of 2 pointed lights and Y tracery in pointed-arch surround to west. C14 doorway in north nave wall with moulded pointed-arch surround. Restored C14 window to right of 3 cusped lights and trefoil tracery. C16 clerestory of 2 square-headed windows to north and 3 to south. Each window of 2 ogee-headed lights with cusped panel tracery and hood mould with labels. West tower of 3 stages, the third stage added C15, with chamfered plinth, offset buttresses rising to third stage and hollow-moulded eaves cornice with gargoyles. Restored embattled parapet. Restored C14 window to west, of 2 cusped lights and quatrefoil tracery, with relieving arch above. C15 bell-stage windows of 2 cusped lights with transoms within segmental pointed head. Interior; chancel windows have moulded surrounds. In south wall a damaged piscina with cusped head, stone shelf and fluted basin. South door has chamfered rere-arch. C19 chancel arch of 2 chamfered orders. Aisle arcades of 2 bays to north, 3 to south. Octagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals supporting arches of 2 chamfered orders. Respond to east of south arcade has carved foliage capitals. Nave and aisle windows have chamfered rere-arches. South aisle door has moulded rere-arch. Piscina towards east with cusped head. Restored trefoil-headed Piscina in east wall of north aisle. C19 font in south aisle in C14 style, with hexagonal basin supported on pedestal with engaged shaft at each angle. Two C15 benches to rear of nave with carved pinnacles and beast head. Brass in North aisle east wall inscribed. 'here lyeth the Boddyes of Richard Woddones parson and pattron and vossioner of the Churche and parishe of Ufton, in the countries of Warricke who died one mydsomer daye 1587 and ngery.e his wife and her seven children as nanelye Richard, John and John, Anne, Jane, Elizabeth, Ayles his iiii daughters whose sole restethe with God'. The brass shows Richard ioddames and his wife kneeling lacing one another over a prayer-desk with their sons and daughters kneeling behind.