Day 53 - Asylum seeking

After a big breakfast (Full English meets sweeter Canadian), we set off with Jane and the Major for a day out in the Cotswolds. It was a bit brisk, but for most of the day we had the sun in our favour. The autumnal colours were glorious, and while they do not get the vibrant colours of New England here, the rusts and golds looked amazing next to the fields filled with yellow flax and greens of still growing autumn crops.

The High Street in Chipping Norton is
ready for a party.

We drove through the countryside to Chipping Norton. Yes, another "Chipping town"... so, if you've been reading along and brushing up on your Old English, you'll probably have already deduced that it means "long market north town," although 'ton' is an even older word meaning farm. The first thing you'll notice about Chipping Norton is that its town centre undulates quite a bit. Always seems odd when a town centre isn't built on a flat bit of land, but you get the sense that several roads merged through here over the centuries and the town developed around that. It's also the highest town in Oxfordshire, so I'm sure they made the best of the hills.

The second thing you'll notice is that there aren't many tourists about. This seems like a local town where people go about their business. That's not to say there aren't lovely shops. We did take a peek inside a few shops that sold absolutely stunning antique garden items. 

After a stroll around town, we set off for Hook Norton with a plan to take a tour of the brewery there. Unfortunately, the tours for the day were fully booked, so we booked tickets for a return visit the next day. However, Phil and the Major were not about to leave the gift shop/bar without trying a sample.

A quiet lane in Hook Norton.

I'll leave the discussion about the brewery to Phil's blog tomorrow, and cheat a little with today's blog. On Sunday, I passed on the brewery tour and instead took a walk around the village of Hook Norton. So, I am going to discuss that experience with you today.

Hook Norton is in a rather hilly part of Oxfordshire. At one time, they even referred to the area as the Oxfordshire Alps (they didn't get out much). Before the Norman conquest, this area saw a lot of battles between competing tribes and kingdoms. I'm certain more than a little blood was shed on the hills I crossed today.

The area is noted for ironstone, so houses here are browner than the golden colour typical of Cotswold stone houses. Ironstone was mined in the 1800s, but the town has remained relatively isolated as no major roads pass through it.

St Peter's Church of England
in Hook Norton.

What's interesting is that the town was the object of fun for centuries (although some may say ridicule). In the 1600s, the inhabitants were described as having "rusticall behaviour" with a "rude demeanour and unmannerliness." An expression arose whenever someone was discourteous: "brought up in Hogge Norton, where pigges play on the organs." From this, someone who was not very bright would be referred to as "born at Hog's Norton." Perhaps it was due to its isolated location and its reputation that Hook Norton became the site of two of the four asylums in the county in the 18th and 19th centuries. The site of one of the asylums is two houses today still named Bridge House and Bedlam (the latter after the more infamous asylum in London). Who knows what went on behind those dark brown stone walls in this quiet isolated town.

As I wandered the area, I noted another anomaly. For a village its size, Hook Norton seemed to have an usually high number of large cemeteries, spilling down over the hillsides.Not a bad place to take a pre-Hallowe'en stroll.

Now, back to Saturday, the day this post is meant to describe. We took a lovely ride back through the countryside, had a late lunch in the flat, then did a bit of shopping in Moreton in Marsh.

We enjoyed dinner in the White Hart Royal Hotel and Eatery in Moreton in Marsh. The Hotel has an interesting history, including how it got the word Royal in its name. If you're interested, check this out: History of the White Hart Royal Hotel.

Source: The White Hart website.