I recently received a lovely email from Janet Longstreeth (was Morse) who lived in Great Coxwell between 1945 and 1969.

"The lady that ran the post office was  Mrs Sweetland and her daughter Phyllis was my friend. I also  remember Mr & Mrs Hunter who ran the Royal Oak; and the old lady who had the shop next to The Laurels was called Miss Roberts. The Laurels was my family home, we were the Morse family. The house is now I think called Warrene house. I also have a painting of the house done during the 2nd world war by Fred Jarchow and wondered if this was the same person mentioned in the letter who did paintings in a shed [as referred to here]. I also remember Mr Cox and his milk round with his pony."

If you have anything to add or would like to share any memories of Great Coxwell for the website please email [email protected].

I am told that some of you will remember Bob Miles who used to farm pigs at the top of Puddleduck Lane.  Bob passed away on 7th March and is to be buried with his late wife in our churchyard on Maundy Thursday, 6th April at 12 noon.
 
His daughter, who grew up in the village, and her family would welcome anyone from the village who remembers Bob to join them at his funeral. 
 
Pat
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The Vale’s conservation area appraisal of Great Coxwell is now published on the District Council’s website https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/conservationareadocuments

You can access the PDF document by clicking this link.

Great excitement today as I found and read a copy of the neighbourhood plan for above. I recently visited Great coxwell with my son and grandson when we dropped said grandson in Oxford to study and couldn’t resist bringing them to see where I lived for a few years and attended the village school during the 2nd world war. Myself and my brother and sister went to live with my aunt and uncle who lived in the house (I believe now divided into 3) i.e. I believe from the map Jenners and Pear Tree Farm and I believe properties on either side are listed, attached to what was then the public house called “The Royal Oak“. My mother had died (we lived in Cheshire I believe,) at the age of 32, and I was aged 4 and young as I was I have many memories of my time there I think that the pub was open only occasionally and I think my uncle ran it when open as he also work at Watchfield (I think an army base) as well. My uncle and aunt were named Harold and Doris Hunter. I remember the school and how we wrote on slates and sand trays also there was only one teacher for the whole school. Our milk was delivered in churns in a pony and cart that we labelled Cox's cavalry as it was Mr Cox who drove it he lived in the village and I believe sold black market cigarettes from his back door. I well remember the church and actually my grandfather Captain Clark who fought in the Boer War, also was in India where his daughter was born i.e. Doris Hunter, is buried in the village churchyard I also remember the Americans who sometimes came to the pub bringing chocolate and gum and silk stockings to us!! We had the VE party on our lawn and the whole of the occupants of Great Coxwell came to tea and I still have the China that was used. Post office was run by a Mrs Swindles who had a daughter called Phyllis, and coincidentally I saw in the neighbourhood plan a desire for a village shop. Well in my day there was one, and the elderly lady who ran it dressed in a long dress and bonnet, there was very little stock in the shop and she kept the money in an OXO tin. We also had a boy billeted with us from the east end of London called Alfie who much to my aunt's delight became as a son to her. We also had a prisoner of war came every day to help in the garden, a very large garden complete with a stream. Pigs and goats as there were no other houses behind ours and as you can imagine it was a large garden. He too became as one of the family and painted many lovely oil paintings in our stables and back at his presumably close by POW camp. I have many more memories, in fact more than I have of my recent past also a few photos if you are interested. My name is Mrs Kay Creed nee Clark (address withheld - Editor). I am in my 80s but think my memory is not too bad. I also remember the pump! Since writing this I have amazed myself as to how much more as a small child I can remember  I must say having seen your wonderful Reading Room teas I am tempted to "come to tea" one day. I will continue to try and remember more of Great Coxwell in the war and perhaps write my musings down. It is obviously a much larger place now than it was at the beginning of the war but I do remember it being a very friendly caring village with many celebrations, parties and fancy dress events. Of course nearly all knew what the others did!

Kindest regards to Great Coxwell and all its inhabitants you live in a very beautiful village.
Kay Creed

I was passed some old village photos recently which I thought might be of interest. Click on the image for the original. If anyone has anything to add or further information please email [email protected]

I have been unable to find the copyright owners for these, if you are the owner or need a photo removed please email [email protected]

I came across this and thought others might find it of interest, some of the facts seem a little out but may be the result of keying in the data - for example:

"The village, which contains few houses of interest, straggles down half a mile of a lane running south from the Highworth road. The church of St. Giles lies back from the road near the southern extremity, the school being further north. A little beyond is the Independent chapel, built in 1875. The reading room was opened in 1801, the site having been given by the late the Hon. Duncombe Pleydell-Bouverie."

For 1801 we can read 1901, the description otherwise seems a little harsh.

There is a long description of the Church and the local name Webb crops up a couple of time.

If you have anything to add, let me know at [email protected].

Citation:
'Parishes: Great Coxwell', in A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 4, ed. William Page and P H Ditchfield (London, 1924), pp. 487-489. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol4/pp487-489.
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Whilst walking through the village with grandchildren 2 weeks ago, I stopped at the War Memorial to show my granddaughter the name of my Uncle, her great great Uncle, James Leonard Wearn who was killed in the Second World War. To my amazement placed beneath his name was a small wooden remembrance cross which had been written on with

“2020 In remembrance of James Leonard Wearn from Deborah and Victoria Wearn”

I immediately phoned my sisters and brother who were completely unaware of the existence of the 2 ladies who are apparently related to us. 

Mike
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While doing some research on Ancestry I came upon the Electoral Register for Great Coxwell for 1959.  By digging further I reached the 1935 Electoral Register.  I have found them very interesting and a number of people in the village have expressed interest (or already had copies from me), so I thought I would make them available to you all.  There are a number of names that will be very familiar.  I also have a register from 1939 which is more like the usual census, giving all people in a household, their dates of birth and their occupations.  However, the images are very dark so I will have to clean them up as much as possible to make them more legible.  If I succeed I will put them on here shortly.  I shall also see what others are available.

Dear Editor of the Coxwell Newsletter.
 
Thank you for publishing the story of Marian Czerwinski.  It is important to have it recorded.  I wonder whether the Oxford Polish Association would like a copy (I have sent a copy - Ed).  

​I well remember Marian’s smoke-emitting Robin Reliant.  One of its incarnations burst into flames on the corner of Puddleduck Lane, leaving black scorch marks on the wall of what was then Helen Anderson’s house.  
 
Ann-Marie and I look forward to receiving our copy of the Newsletter and enjoy reading about life in Gt Coxwell, where we had five very happy years.
 
Best wishes
Ian Beckwith (Vicar of Gt Coxwell 1997-2002).
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We've had this link on the home page for a while, but here it is again if you have never seen it, from the BFI web site

"This travelogue of the countryside around Great Coxwell and Faringdon was sponsored by Shell-Mex, and written and narrated by poet John Betjeman. Great Coxwell was in Berkshire until 1974, when it became part of Oxfordshire after boundary changes."

Watch the 3 minute black and white film from 1955 here.

This second film from 1952 is 5 minutes long and without dialogue, but in colour, to quote the BFI"In the market town of Faringdon in Berkshire (it transferred to Oxfordshire in the 1974 council re-organisation) a carnival is underway to raise funds for All Saints' Church. The unusually squat tower of the church is a legacy of a Civil War cannon ball that drastically reduced its height in 1645. This historical oddity is commemorated on one of the floats in the brightly decorated parade captured in vivid Kodachrome by Joyce Skinner.

Look out too for an appearance by an American military band that is visiting from Fairford in Gloucestershire. The United States Air Force were running the base at the time as the Cold War escalated. The filmmaker, Joyce Skinner, was later a member of the South Birmingham Cine Society and went on to make several sponsored industrial films and prize winning amateur productions."

Watch it here

Enjoy!
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