Shutford
Shutford is a small village located 6 miles west of
Banbury, north
Oxfordshire. Its origins as a permanent settlement are assumed to date from
Saxon times, though there is archeological evidence that it has been in existence since ancient times.
The
terrain around Shutford is very hilly, yet very fertile. The area maintains a very green appearance all year round. According to the
Ordnance Survey map, the village is about 475ft (145m) above sea level. Summers in Shutford are mild to warm, averaging around 21-24*C (maximum) throughout the summer period, but can reach as high as 30*C; Winters are cold to mild, temperatures ranging mostly around 5-8*C (maximum), but can fall below 0*C. Precipitation falls with greater frequency in the winter period, mostly as rain.
Shutford possesses a
parish council, it is in the
Wroxton ward for the
Cherwell District Council and falls under the
Oxfordshire County Council's remit.
In the
2005 General Election, the Rt Hon Tony Baldry MP, a
Conservative, was re-elected to represent Banbury in the
House of Commons. He gained 26,382 votes, making up 46.9% out of 56,209 votes (a turnout of 64.5%). This gave Mr. Baldry a gain of 1.7% from the previous election in
2001 and led second placed Leslie Sibley (
Labour) by 10,797 votes.
Shutford is best known for its former
plush industry. The industry, run for the large part by the Wrench family, was functioning from the 1600s right up until 1947, providing plush materials to various royal courts all over
Europe and winning several international awards for its quality.
The village is full of historical buildings built from the local
Hornton stone. Many local buildings were destroyed by a fire in
1701, but by
1774 it was one of the largest villages in Banburyshire, with 71 homes. St Martin's Church stands proud above the village, with parts of it dating back to Norman times. It is adjacent to Shutford Manor, a fine mansion once owned by the
Saye and Sele family (now to be found in
Broughton, 3 miles away from Shutford) which is currently owned by a well-known British business family.
From the collapse of the plush industry to the 1960s, the village went into serious decline, with no school, no pub and no permanent vicar for a time. Various advertising campaigns from 1969 onwards encouraged a rejuvenation, turning the village into the affluent settlement it is today.
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View above Shutford at the beginning of the Summer Harvest |
The village today is much larger with the building of a modern housing estate almost doubling it size. In line with the rest of the county, Shutford's agricultural roots have been greatly diminished with negligible employment amongst the population in that sector. Rather, the village has become a commuter village and has been popular amongst second-home buyers.
According to the 2001 National Census, 461 people are living in Shutford.
Many traditions are still kept alive and are actively participated in by the local population, such as an
Easter Egg Roll, where villagers race decorated eggs from the top of
Jester's Hill to the bottom; and every Christmas a brass band plays carol on a horsecart followed by singers. The Church congregation has suffered somewhat of a decline in numbers but attracts church-goers from outside. The Shutford and
Balscote Branch of the
Royal British Legion often holds its Annual Memorial Service at St. Martin's.
