Napton-on-the-Hill
Encyclopedia
Napton-on-the-Hill, is a village and civil parish 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Southam
in Warwickshire
, England.
Napton is derived from the Old English cnaepp meaning 'hilltop' and tun meaning 'settlement' in the Old English language
. In 1086 the Domesday Book
recorded the village as Neptone. The hill on which the village is built is just over 500 feet (152.4 m) above sea level, commanding the remainder of the parish which for the most part is at a height of about 300 feet (91.4 m).
The Domesday Book records that in 1086 Robert de Beaumont
, Count of Meulan held the principal manor
of Napton. In 1107 Henry I
made de Beaumont Earl of Leicester
and de Beaumont's manor at Napton became part of the honour
of Leicester
. When Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester
died in 1204 leaving no male heir his estates were divided between his two sisters. Napton was included in the half that passed to his younger sister Margaret, and thereby to her husband Saer de Quincy
who in 1207 was made Earl of Winchester
. Napton was still part of the Honour of Winchester
in 1271 but Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester
had died in 1265 with no male heir, leaving his estates to his three daughters. In 1285 the husbands of two of these, Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan
and William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
, jointly claimed view of frankpledge over Napton. There are further references to Napton's feudal
overlordship in the 14th century and in 1413.
of St Lawrence include the chancel
, which was built in the 12th century and still has three Norman
windows in its north wall. The south doorway of the nave
is also from the end of the 12th century. Prof. Louis Salzman
considered that the north and south transept
s were also 12th century but Prof. Nikolaus Pevsner
proposed a later date of about 1275, noting their triplets of Early English Gothic lancet window
s. The north and south aisles were added in the 13th century after the transepts. The lower stages of the bell tower
date from about 1300. The east window of the south transept is a later Perpendicular Gothic addition.
The south porch reuses a mixture of Early English and Perpendicular masonry and has puzzled historians. Salzman thought it could have been built either at the end of the 16th century or in the 17th century but Pevsner suspected the involvement of J. Croft, the architect who restored the church in 1861. The vestry may also have been added in the 17th century and the upper stage of the tower was rebuilt early in the 18th century. After this rebuilding a ring
of five bells was cast in 1731 and hung in the tower. The tenor was recast in 1874 and Eayre & Smith Ltd. rehung all the bells in 1958. The ring was increased to six bells by the addition of the treble cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in 1963.
St. Lawrence's is at the top of the hill, making it a local landmark and giving it commanding views over the surrounding countryside, especially from the top of the tower. St. Lawrence's parish is now part of a single Church of England benefice with the parishes of Lower Shuckburgh
and Stockton
, part of the Bridges Group of parishes.
charter by King Edward II
and throughout the Middle Ages
it was one of the largest settlements in Warwickshire
. However the market died out, and the population of the village today of around 1,000, is roughly the same as it was in the year 1400.
Napton had a windmill by 1543. The present stone-built tower mill
is a later structure that was derelict in 1966 but has since been restored.
Napton had separate schools for girls and boys until 1948 when they were merged to form the current St. Lawrence Church of England
Primary School, which moved to its current premises in 1997.
from Hawkesbury Junction
was completed in 1771 and it reached Napton in 1774. This made Napton the head of navigation for coal supplies to be forwarded by road to Banbury
, Bicester
, Woodstock and Oxford until 1777, when the canal reached Fenny Compton
which then took over as the transhipment point.
The Oxford Canal's chief engineer, Samuel Simcock, designed
the canal to be a contour canal
as much as possible, so he routed it around three sides of Napton Hill to minimise the number of locks needed. Even so, to climb from Napton Wharf to the summit pound at Marston Doles required eight locks around the hill (nos. 8-15) and another at Marston Doles (no. 16), that between them raise boats by a total of 52 feet (15.8 m).
The 11 miles (17.7 km) long summit pound between Marston Doles and Claydon, Oxfordshire
suffered from a shortage of water so Parliament passed an Act in 1786 authorising the company to use any water supply within 1000 yards (914.4 m) of the canal. Just over 1 miles (1.6 km) south of Napton it sank a well that fed the summit pound via a 900 yards (823 m) feeder arm westwards to the canal between locks 11 and 12 and then a 1 miles (1.6 km) channel beside the canal from there to just above Marston Doles lock. An engine house with a steam engine and pump were built at the well-head and the well seems to have begun operation in 1793. The boiler needed replacement as early as 1794 and an accident with the engine killed a workman in 1796.
In 1800 the Warwick and Napton Canal (W&N) was completed, joining the Oxford Canal at Napton Junction. In order to reach the same level as the Oxford Canal the W&N ascended three locks at Calcutt just north of Napton parish. With each passage of a narrowboat through Calcutt Locks the Oxford Canal lost a certain amount of water so the W&N agreed to pay the Oxford 2 shillings (2/-)
(10p) for each such passage. In 1805 the Grand Junction Canal
was completed, joining the Oxford Canal at Braunston
4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Napton and completing the direct canal route between Birmingham
and London
. Between 1808 and 1811 the W&N built a reservoir at Ashby St Ledgers
7 miles (11.3 km) from Napton to feed both the Oxford and the W&N via the Grand Junction. This enabled the Oxford to cease regular pumping at Napton and stop charging the W&N two shillings for each boat through Calcutt Locks.
A century later, in autumn 1911, the canals again suffered a water shortage so the Oxford Canal brought its well at Napton back into use. The old pumping engine had long been out of action so the company hired two Oxford Steam Plough Company steam ploughing engines to work the pump. In 1974 there was another water shortage and British Waterways
resorted to back-pumping water up Napton Locks.
In 1928 the Grand Junction Canal took over the W&N and Warwick and Birmingham canals to form the Grand Union Canal
. The Grand Union wanted to widen its route to enable it to take barges 12.5 feet (3.8 m) wide, so in 1931 an Act of Parliament gave the Grand Union special powers over the Oxord Canal to widen the section between Braunston and Napton Junctions. Between 1932 and 1947 it widened bridges between Braunston and Napton and increased the depth of the canal to 5.5 feet (1.7 m).
The canals are now primarily a leisure facility and Napton Junction has a marina
that offers moorings and narrowboats for hire.
band Girlschool
. The festival was repeated in the same place in 2007, with two stages and with the Sweet
and the Hollies
as its main acts. In 2008 the main acts were Bad Company
on the main stage and Aynsley Lister
in the marquee. The 2008 festival extended to the Friday night with Jilted Generation performing in the marquee.
Smaller events were held in Napton village 2009 and 2010, both headlined by Whole Lotta DC.
In 2011 the festival will be held in a new location on the outskirts of Napton village. It will be a two-day event with bands including the Ripps on the Friday night and the Bluetones
and the Total Stone Roses headlining the Saturday night.
(1932–2005) is buried in the parish churchyard.
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England.
Manor
The toponymToponymy
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...
Napton is derived from the Old English cnaepp meaning 'hilltop' and tun meaning 'settlement' in the Old English language
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
. In 1086 the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
recorded the village as Neptone. The hill on which the village is built is just over 500 feet (152.4 m) above sea level, commanding the remainder of the parish which for the most part is at a height of about 300 feet (91.4 m).
The Domesday Book records that in 1086 Robert de Beaumont
Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan was a powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age...
, Count of Meulan held the principal manor
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...
of Napton. In 1107 Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
made de Beaumont Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
and de Beaumont's manor at Napton became part of the honour
Honour (land)
In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...
of Leicester
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....
. When Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester was an English nobleman, the last of the Beaumont earls of Leicester. He is sometimes known as Robert FitzPernel....
died in 1204 leaving no male heir his estates were divided between his two sisters. Napton was included in the half that passed to his younger sister Margaret, and thereby to her husband Saer de Quincy
Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester
Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England, and a major figure in both Scotland and England in the decades around the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.Saer de Quincy's immediate background was in the Scottish...
who in 1207 was made Earl of Winchester
Earl of Winchester
Earl of Winchester was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England during the Middle Ages. The first was Saer de Quincy, who received the earldom in 1207/8 after his wife inherited half of the lands of the Beaumont earls of Leicester. This creation became extinct in 1265 upon the...
. Napton was still part of the Honour of Winchester
Winchester Castle
Winchester Castle is a medieval building in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1067. Only the Great Hall exists now; it houses a museum of the history of Winchester.-Great Hall:...
in 1271 but Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester
Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester
Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester was a medieval nobleman who was prominent on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border, as Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland....
had died in 1265 with no male heir, leaving his estates to his three daughters. In 1285 the husbands of two of these, Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan
Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan
Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countess of Buchan, the heiress of the last native Scottish Mormaer of Buchan,...
and William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman and head of a family which controlled a large part of Derbyshire including an area known as Duffield Frith....
, jointly claimed view of frankpledge over Napton. There are further references to Napton's feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
overlordship in the 14th century and in 1413.
Parish church
The oldest parts of the Anglican 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 St Lawrence include 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...
, which was built in the 12th century and still has three 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...
windows in its north wall. The south doorway of 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...
is also from the end of the 12th century. Prof. Louis Salzman
Louis Francis Salzman
Louis Francis Salzman was a British economic historian who specialised in the medieval period.He was born in Brighton in 1878, the son of Dr. F.W. Salzmann, and educated at Haileybury College and Pembroke College, Cambridge...
considered that the north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s were also 12th century but Prof. Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
proposed a later date of about 1275, noting their triplets of Early English Gothic lancet window
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...
s. The north and south aisles were added in the 13th century after the transepts. The lower stages of 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...
date from about 1300. The east window of the south transept is a later Perpendicular Gothic addition.
The south porch reuses a mixture of Early English and Perpendicular masonry and has puzzled historians. Salzman thought it could have been built either at the end of the 16th century or in the 17th century but Pevsner suspected the involvement of J. Croft, the architect who restored the church in 1861. The vestry may also have been added in the 17th century and the upper stage of the tower was rebuilt early in the 18th century. After this rebuilding 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 five bells was cast in 1731 and hung in the tower. The tenor was recast in 1874 and Eayre & Smith Ltd. rehung all the bells in 1958. The ring was increased to six bells by the addition of the treble cast by 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 1963.
St. Lawrence's is at the top of the hill, making it a local landmark and giving it commanding views over the surrounding countryside, especially from the top of the tower. St. Lawrence's parish is now part of a single Church of England benefice with the parishes of Lower Shuckburgh
Lower Shuckburgh
Lower Shuckburgh is a small village in eastern Warwickshire. It lies within the civil parish of Upper and Lower Shuckburgh, which in the 2001 census had a population of 82....
and Stockton
Stockton, Warwickshire
Stockton is a village and civil parish, in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,391. The village is located just to the east of the A426 road two miles north-east of Southam, and eight miles south-west of Rugby.Stockton's name was...
, part of the Bridges Group of parishes.
Economic and social history
In the 14th century Napton was granted a marketMarket
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
charter by King Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
and throughout the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it was one of the largest settlements in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. However the market died out, and the population of the village today of around 1,000, is roughly the same as it was in the year 1400.
Napton had a windmill by 1543. The present stone-built tower mill
Tower mill
A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....
is a later structure that was derelict in 1966 but has since been restored.
Napton had separate schools for girls and boys until 1948 when they were merged to form the current St. Lawrence Church of England
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
Primary School, which moved to its current premises in 1997.
Canals
The first section of the Oxford CanalOxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
from Hawkesbury Junction
Hawkesbury Junction
Hawkesbury Junction or Sutton Stop is a canal junction at the northern limit of the Oxford Canal where it meets the Coventry Canal, near Hawkesbury Village, Warwickshire, on the West Midlands county border, England...
was completed in 1771 and it reached Napton in 1774. This made Napton the head of navigation for coal supplies to be forwarded by road to Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, Woodstock and Oxford until 1777, when the canal reached Fenny Compton
Fenny Compton
Fenny Compton is a village and parish in Warwickshire, England, about eight miles north of Banbury. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 797. Its church of St. Peter and St. Clare was built in the 14th century...
which then took over as the transhipment point.
The Oxford Canal's chief engineer, Samuel Simcock, designed
the canal to be a contour canal
Contour canal
A contour canal is an artificially-dug navigable canal which closely follows the contour line of the land it traverses in order to avoid costly engineering works such as boring a tunnel through higher ground, building an embankment over lower ground, or constructing a canal lock to change the...
as much as possible, so he routed it around three sides of Napton Hill to minimise the number of locks needed. Even so, to climb from Napton Wharf to the summit pound at Marston Doles required eight locks around the hill (nos. 8-15) and another at Marston Doles (no. 16), that between them raise boats by a total of 52 feet (15.8 m).
The 11 miles (17.7 km) long summit pound between Marston Doles and Claydon, Oxfordshire
Claydon, Oxfordshire
Claydon is a village in Claydon with Clattercot civil parish, about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The village is about above sea level on a hill of Early Jurassic Middle Lias clay. Claydon is the northernmost village in Oxfordshire...
suffered from a shortage of water so Parliament passed an Act in 1786 authorising the company to use any water supply within 1000 yards (914.4 m) of the canal. Just over 1 miles (1.6 km) south of Napton it sank a well that fed the summit pound via a 900 yards (823 m) feeder arm westwards to the canal between locks 11 and 12 and then a 1 miles (1.6 km) channel beside the canal from there to just above Marston Doles lock. An engine house with a steam engine and pump were built at the well-head and the well seems to have begun operation in 1793. The boiler needed replacement as early as 1794 and an accident with the engine killed a workman in 1796.
In 1800 the Warwick and Napton Canal (W&N) was completed, joining the Oxford Canal at Napton Junction. In order to reach the same level as the Oxford Canal the W&N ascended three locks at Calcutt just north of Napton parish. With each passage of a narrowboat through Calcutt Locks the Oxford Canal lost a certain amount of water so the W&N agreed to pay the Oxford 2 shillings (2/-)
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
(10p) for each such passage. In 1805 the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
was completed, joining the Oxford Canal at Braunston
Braunston
Braunston is a village and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It has a population of 1,675 . Braunston is situated just off the A45 main road and lies between the towns of Rugby and Daventry....
4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Napton and completing the direct canal route between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Between 1808 and 1811 the W&N built a reservoir at Ashby St Ledgers
Ashby St Ledgers
Ashby St Ledgers is a village in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England, although the postal address is Rugby in Warwickshire. The Manor House is famous for being the location for the planning of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. The building is now part of the Crown estate.-Location:The...
7 miles (11.3 km) from Napton to feed both the Oxford and the W&N via the Grand Junction. This enabled the Oxford to cease regular pumping at Napton and stop charging the W&N two shillings for each boat through Calcutt Locks.
A century later, in autumn 1911, the canals again suffered a water shortage so the Oxford Canal brought its well at Napton back into use. The old pumping engine had long been out of action so the company hired two Oxford Steam Plough Company steam ploughing engines to work the pump. In 1974 there was another water shortage and British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
resorted to back-pumping water up Napton Locks.
In 1928 the Grand Junction Canal took over the W&N and Warwick and Birmingham canals to form the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. The Grand Union wanted to widen its route to enable it to take barges 12.5 feet (3.8 m) wide, so in 1931 an Act of Parliament gave the Grand Union special powers over the Oxord Canal to widen the section between Braunston and Napton Junctions. Between 1932 and 1947 it widened bridges between Braunston and Napton and increased the depth of the canal to 5.5 feet (1.7 m).
The canals are now primarily a leisure facility and Napton Junction has a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
that offers moorings and narrowboats for hire.
Amenities
Napton F.C. play on Dog Lane Sports Field and has teams ranging from 10 years old to veterans.- The Folly
- The Crown
- The King's Head (Hook Norton BreweryHook Norton BreweryHook Norton Brewery is a regional brewery in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England, founded in 1849. The brewing plant is a traditional Victorian "tower" brewery in which all the stages of the brewing process flow logically from floor to floor; mashing at the top, boiling in the middle, fermentation...
) - The Bridge Inn
- The Victory Club
Napton Festival
On 16 September 2006 the first Napton Festival was held at Holt Farm on Holt Road. The headline act was the hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Girlschool
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
. The festival was repeated in the same place in 2007, with two stages and with the Sweet
Sweet (band)
Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
and the Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
as its main acts. In 2008 the main acts were Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
on the main stage and Aynsley Lister
Aynsley Lister
Aynsley Lister is an English blues-rock guitarist/singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lister started playing guitar at 8 and played his first concert at 13. He had learned guitar by playing along to his father’s old 45s of Freddie King, John Mayall and Eric Clapton...
in the marquee. The 2008 festival extended to the Friday night with Jilted Generation performing in the marquee.
Smaller events were held in Napton village 2009 and 2010, both headlined by Whole Lotta DC.
In 2011 the festival will be held in a new location on the outskirts of Napton village. It will be a two-day event with bands including the Ripps on the Friday night and the Bluetones
The Bluetones
The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...
and the Total Stone Roses headlining the Saturday night.
Notable people
The American actor Ed BishopEd Bishop
Ed Bishop was an American film, television, stage and radio actor based in Britain.-Early life:Bishop served in the US Army from 8 October 1952 to 24 September 1954, working as a disc jockey with the Armed Forces Radio at St. Johns in Newfoundland...
(1932–2005) is buried in the parish churchyard.