Historic Swalcliffe
This evening, my post records a re-visit of historic buildings and landscapes, all with around a three mile radius of the small Oxfordshire village of Swalcliffe near Banbury in southern England. The locale is exceptionally rich in history from the Bronze Age ( 3300 BC to 1200 BC through to Iron-Age, ( 800 BC—43 AD) Roman period (AD43-AD410) , Saxon period (AD410- AD1066) and medieval (1066AD- 1500AD). (All time periods are approximate.) In the first trip I was fortunate to be escorted by three highly qualified and knowledgeable local experts. First call was the Great Barn which was built to store the produce of the manor. Work commenced in 1404 with the oak roof timbers which as living trees probably date back to the 1200s. This building is now listed as an ancient monument and owned by the Oxfordshire Buildings Trust. Inside is a collection of farm wagons from days past plus a display of coins, pottery and other finds from local Roman sites. Great Barn interior Great Barn ex...