Shrivenham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shrivenham is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire (though formerly in Berkshire), adjacent to the border with Wiltshire. It is located at grid reference SU238888 in the Vale of White Horse, between Swindon and Faringdon.
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[edit] Character
Shrivenham is a rural village with a population of about 5,500. Shrivenham features many thatched cottages, stone walls, an ancient pump and a Norman church. It has two traditional and historic public houses, the Barrington Arms and the Prince of Wales. Each year, the village hosts the Shrivenham Village Fete, which has been an annual event for 25 years.
[edit] Military colleges
Shrivenham has been the site of UK military colleges since 1946 and the establishment of the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) on the Beckett estate. This college is now known as the Defence College of Management and Technology, which is part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.
Cranfield University has a strong connection with the Defence Academy, being the academic provider at the aforementioned college.
The Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) and the Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC) are just over the parish boundary in Watchfield.
[edit] Beckett estate
- Main article: Beckett Hall
The main country estate in Shrivenham is the Beckett Estate. The estate and the Barrington family who lived there were the inspirations for the naming of Becket, Massachusetts and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It was also the home of Henry Marten, the regicide.
[edit] Churches
- St. Andrew's Church - Church of England denomination. Built in the 1700s, but with parts dating back to the 12th century.
- St Patrick's Church - Roman Catholic denomination.
- Shrivenham Methodist Church.
[edit] History
There has been a human settlement at Shrivenham from at least 400 bc. The remains of a Roman villa have been uncovered nearby.
Historically, Shrivenham is part of the Shrivenham Hundred which contained Ashbury, Buscot, Coleshill, Compton Beauchamp, Eaton Hastings, Shrivenham, and Uffington [1]. After the 19th century, Hundreds effectively ceased to function, although they have not been abolished.
[edit] Literature
In Tom Brown's Schooldays, the main character Tom Brown mentions Shrivenham station (now defunct):
"Most of you have probably travelled down the Great Western Railway as far as Swindon. Those of you who did so with their eyes open have been aware, soon after leaving the Didcot station, of a fine range of chalk hills running parallel with the railway on the left-hand side as you go down, and distant some two or three miles, more or less, from the line. The highest point in the range is the White Horse Hill, which you come in front of just before you stop at the Shrivenham station. If you love English scenery, and have a few hours to spare, you can't do better, the next time you pass, than stop at the Farringdon Road or Shrivenham station, and make your way to that highest point."
[edit] Notable people
- John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington - English statesman and 1st Viscount Barrington, resident of Beckett, Shrivenham
- Samuel Barrington - British Admiral and fourth son of John Shute Barrington
- Shute Barrington, Bishop of Llandaff, of Salisbury and of Durham
- William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington - British politician and eldest son of John Shute Barrington
- Benjamin Disraeli - Prime Minister and literary figure, frequent visitor to Shrivenham
- Henry Marten - English politician and resident of Beckett, Shrivenham
[edit] Sport and leisure
- The local football team is Shrivenham F.C..
[edit] Twin town
Mortrée, a commune with some 1,000 inhabitants in Lower Normandy, France, has been twinned with Shrivenham since 1988.
[edit] Further reading
- Boobyer, David. (2005). Shrivenham: Portraits of a Typical English Village.
- Dils, Joan & Schwartz, Deidre. (2005). Tudor and Stuart Shrivenham.
- Hill, Rev. Edward Frank. (1929). A Record of the Parish of Shrivenham, Berkshire.
[edit] External links
- Shrivenham Community Website
- Markets Towns - Shrivenham South East England
- Discover Oxfordshire Villages: Shrivenham
- Vision of Shrivenham through Time
- History of Shrivenham Primary School
- St. Andrew's Church
- Shrivenham Park Golf Club
- US military history at Shrivenham
- Defence College of Management and Technology
- Cranfield University at Shrivenham
