It's a while since I took you on a visit to a Midsomer village, so today it is time for a trip to a little gem of a place.
Brightwell Baldwin is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 4 1⁄2 miles (7 km) northeast of Wallingford. It is located on a spring-line at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 208, living in 86 dwellings along a single road.
‘Brightwell’ is derived from the Old English for 'bright spring'. 'Baldwin' is the name of a family that once held the manor.
The earliest known record of Brightwell Baldwin is a Saxon charter of AD 854 in the Cartularium Saxonicum that records the name as Beorhtawille or Brihtanwylle. Almost a century later a Saxon charter of AD 945 records it as Byrhtanwellan. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Bretewelle.
Brightwell Park lies immediately to the north of Brightwell village and was the site of a medieval manor house, set amidst parkland, which was destroyed by fire in 1786. A replacement house was built, but demolished in the mid 20th century.
The earliest parts of the Church of Saint Bartholomew (bottom right photo) are 13th century, including a stair turret and a number of lancet windows, notably in the chancel. Early in the 14th century the nave was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style, with north and south aisles linked to it by arcades of four bays. The west tower and the Perpendicular Gothic east window of the chancel were added in the 15th century. The pulpit and tester are Jacobean (17th century). The building was restored in 1895 and is Grade I listed.
The ‘Lord Nelson’ pub (top right photo) dates back to the 17th century. By the early 20th century it had been converted to other uses, but more recently an extensive restoration has brought it back into use as a public house again.
There are some attractive houses in the village (right side shots), with examples of stone and brick, with older buildings being timber framed and with thatched roofs.
Great collage, your photos are making me long to travel again to England. I was born in Billericay and go back often in normal times. very interesting historic descriptions.
What a quaint little village! Thank you for sharing these beautiful shots and for the very interesting history. Most of the places you have shown in this series are completely new to me.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I'm pleased that so many of you are enjoying the occasional visit to Midsomer. It has been really interesting for me to look back to my visits to these villages and remember some of the walks that I did in the area.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I'm pleased that so many of you are enjoying the occasional visit to Midsomer. It has been really interesting for me to look back to my visits to these villages and remember some of the walks that I did in the area.
Ian
Thank you Nina. I really enjoyed exploring these villages, and its good to look back on the photos of them now.
Ian