Britwell Salome

Britwell Salome is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England centred 4 1⁄2 miles (7 km) northeast of Wallingford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 204.[1]

Britwell Salome

St Nicholas' parish church
Britwell Salome
Location within Oxfordshire
Area5.78 km2 (2.23 sq mi)
Population204 (2011 Census)
• Density35/km2 (91/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU6793
Civil parish
  • Britwell Salome
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWatlington
Postcode districtOX49
Dialling code01491
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteBritwell Salome Parish Meeting

Toponym

"Salome" is derived from the surname Sulham. There is a Berrick Salome about 3 miles (5 km) to the west, and a Sulham near Reading, Berkshire.

Manor

Until the Norman conquest of England, a Saxon called Wulfstan held the manor of Britwell, as well as three others in the area including Adwell. The Domesday Book records that by 1086 Britwell had been granted to the Norman Miles Crispin,[2] the first castellan of Wallingford Castle.

Britwell Park
Britwell Salome House

Britwell House was built in 1727–28 for Sir Edward Simeon. The architect is unknown but Simeon himself designed the oval chapel, added in 1769–69.[3]

In front of the house to the southeast is a freestanding neoclassical column, with a large stone urn as a finial. It was built for Sir Edward Simeon in 1764 as a monument to his parents.[4] In Britwell Park, north of the house, is a limestone obelisk with a pineapple finial. It too was erected for Sir Edward Simeon in the middle of the 18th century.[5]

The house, monument and obelisk are all Grade II* listed buildings.[4][5][6]

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saint Nicholas was built early in the 12th century, and has a late 13th-century east window.[7]

In 1865–67 the church was rebuilt to designs by the Gothic Revival architect Charles Buckeridge.[3] There was a church at Britwell Priors northeast of the village, but despite an objection from the Oxford Diocesan architect GE Street it was demolished, and Buckeridge re-used some of its materials in the rebuilding of St Nicholas.[8]

St Nicholas' parish is now part of the Benefice of Icknield, along with the parishes of Pyrton, Swyncombe and Watlington.[9]

Amenities

The Red Lion pub was built late in the 18th or early 19th century.[10] The Tithe Commissioners met here in 1841.[2] It is now a gastropub.[11] For a time it was called The Goose, which won a Michelin Star, and was owned by Paul Castle, but it ceased trading in July 2010.[12] Since April 2012 the pub has traded again under its former name of the Red Lion.[13]

Britwell Salome Cricket Club[14] plays traditional, Sunday afternoon matches and occasional midweek fixtures. In 2014, it received much attention in local and national press as the subject of an unusual six-hitting ban. The club formerly competed in the Oxfordshire Cricket Association.[15]

Southeast of the village is Britwell Hill, past which runs the Ridgeway. There is a view of the Vale of Oxford looking down from the straight road that links the hill and the village.

References
  1. "Area: Britwell Salome (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  2. Lobel 1954, pp. 43–55.
  3. Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 486
  4. Historic England. "Britwell Park, monument approximately 90 metres south west of Britwell House  (Grade II*) (1059462)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  5. Historic England. "Britwell Park, obelisk approximately 130 metres north of Britwell House  (Grade II*) (1059461)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  6. Historic England. "Britwell House and attached walls and coach house  (Grade II*) (1059503)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St Nicholas  (Grade II) (1059466)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  8. Saint 1973, p. 367.
  9. Archbishops' Council. "Benefice of Icknield". A Church Near You. Church of England. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  10. Historic England. "The Red Lion Inn public house  (Grade II) (1059472)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  11. Richmond, Nicky (24 April 2012). "The Red Lion, Britwell Salome". The Food Judge. WordPress.
  12. Gerrard, Neil (26 July 2010). "The Goose in Britwell Salome to close permanently". Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
  13. "The Red Lion, Britwell Salome". Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  14. Britwell Salome Cricket Club
  15. "Archive". Oxfordshire Cricket Association. Retrieved 21 August 2015.

Bibliography
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