Brize Norton
Encyclopedia
Brize Norton is a village and civil parish 1 miles (1.6 km) east of Carterton
in West Oxfordshire
. The original part of RAF Brize Norton
is in the parish.
in 1086 the village's toponym
was Norton, being the north tun (Old English for village) of Bampton
. In 1235 the form Suthnorton ("South Norton") was recorded, evidently to distinguish it from other Nortons further north in Oxfordshire such as Chipping Norton. By the 1260's the form Norton Brun was in use, referring to the Brun or Brown family who were the parish's manorial
lords. Further variants included Brunesnorton in 1297, Brimes Norton in 1303 and Brynes Norton in 1376, but the Norton Brun form outlived them and was still in use early in the 17th century. The form Brysenorton had appeared by 1523, and by the middle of the 17th century it had become the usual form of the name. However, Norton Brun had evolved into Norton Broyne and remained in use in church records until early in the 19th century.
of Saint Britius is Norman
. The south doorway with its decorative tympanum
, a doorway in the south wall of the chancel
and the font
date from this time. The porch is in the Transitional style from Norman to Early English Gothic, which suggests that it was added slightly later. Early in the 13th century the north aisle was added, with a four-bay
Early English Gothic arcade
linking it with the nave
. In the second half of the 13th century the bell tower
was added at the west end of the north aisle and the present east window of three lancets
was inserted in the chancel. A chapel forms an eastward continuation of the north aisle. Two of its windows are original 13th century lancets; two square-headed windows were added in the 14th century and the east window of the chapel is modern. The Gothic Revival architect
G.E. Street
restored the building in 1868.
The tower has a ring
of six bells but they are currently unringable. The tenor bell was cast by Edward Neale of Burford
in 1679. Three more were cast by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in 1873. The two youngest bells were cast by John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate
in London: one in 1881 and the present treble bell in 1884. St. Britius has also a service bell cast by Naylor, Vickers & Co. of Sheffield
in 1860.
Brize Norton also has a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1908. It is now a private house.
was built through the parish from to . The company provided a railway station 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village on the road to Bampton
, and called it Bampton station despite it being much nearer Brize Norton than Bampton. RAF Brize Norton
was established in 1937. In 1944, the Great Western Railway
renamed the station to reflect the increasing importance of the RAF station. British Rail
ways closed the line and station in 1962. The site of the station is now a small industrial estate.
Brize Norton has two public house
s: The Chequers and The Masons Arms. Brize Norton has a women's Football Club and a Women's Institute.
Carterton, Oxfordshire
Carterton is the second largest town in West Oxfordshire and is about south of the A40 and south-west of Witney. The town is on the edge of the Thames Valley and on the edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
in West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
. The original part of RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
is in the parish.
Toponym
Around the time of the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 the village's toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
was Norton, being the north tun (Old English for village) of Bampton
Bampton, Oxfordshire
Bampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....
. In 1235 the form Suthnorton ("South Norton") was recorded, evidently to distinguish it from other Nortons further north in Oxfordshire such as Chipping Norton. By the 1260's the form Norton Brun was in use, referring to the Brun or Brown family who were the parish's manorial
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
lords. Further variants included Brunesnorton in 1297, Brimes Norton in 1303 and Brynes Norton in 1376, but the Norton Brun form outlived them and was still in use early in the 17th century. The form Brysenorton had appeared by 1523, and by the middle of the 17th century it had become the usual form of the name. However, Norton Brun had evolved into Norton Broyne and remained in use in church records until early in the 19th century.
Churches
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Britius is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. The south doorway with its decorative tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
, a doorway in the south wall of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
date from this time. The porch is in the Transitional style from Norman to Early English Gothic, which suggests that it was added slightly later. Early in the 13th century the north aisle was added, with a four-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
Early English Gothic arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
linking it with the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. In the second half of the 13th century the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was added at the west end of the north aisle and the present east window of three lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
was inserted in the chancel. A chapel forms an eastward continuation of the north aisle. Two of its windows are original 13th century lancets; two square-headed windows were added in the 14th century and the east window of the chapel is modern. The Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
restored the building in 1868.
The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells but they are currently unringable. The tenor bell was cast by Edward Neale of Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
in 1679. Three more were cast by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
in 1873. The two youngest bells were cast by John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate
Cripplegate
Cripplegate was a city gate in the London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. The area was almost entirely destroyed by bombing in World War II and today is the site of the Barbican Estate and Barbican Centre...
in London: one in 1881 and the present treble bell in 1884. St. Britius has also a service bell cast by Naylor, Vickers & Co. of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1860.
Brize Norton also has a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1908. It is now a private house.
Economic history
In 1861, the East Gloucestershire RailwayOxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
The Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway was a single track railway line, long, in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.-The Witney Railway:In 1849 a branch line was proposed from the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway at Wilcote near Charlbury via North Leigh to Witney, but the route was...
was built through the parish from to . The company provided a railway station 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village on the road to Bampton
Bampton, Oxfordshire
Bampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....
, and called it Bampton station despite it being much nearer Brize Norton than Bampton. RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
was established in 1937. In 1944, the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
renamed the station to reflect the increasing importance of the RAF station. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the line and station in 1962. The site of the station is now a small industrial estate.
Amenities
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s: The Chequers and The Masons Arms. Brize Norton has a women's Football Club and a Women's Institute.