78-550: The Westminster Group is an English security company, headquartered in Banbury , Oxfordshire , United Kingdom. Westminster was founded in 1988 as a security systems business, Westminster Security Systems, supplying systems and equipment to the UK domestic and commercial marketplace. In 1990, Westminster Security Systems was acquired by Menvier-Swain Group Plc, at which time Peter Fowler joined
156-539: A cattle market , Western Europe's largest. Situated on Merton Street in Grimsbury , for many decades, cattle and other farm animals were driven there on the hoof from as far as Scotland to be sold to feed the growing population of London and other towns. Since its closure in June 1998, a new housing development has been built on its site which includes Dashwood Primary School. The estate, which lies between Banbury and Hanwell ,
234-487: A Saxon chieftain said to have built a stockade there in the 6th century (or possibly a byname from Old English : bana meaning felon , murderer ), and burgh / burh meaning settlement . In Anglo Saxon it was called Banesburh (dative Banesbyrig ). The name appears as Banesberie in the Domesday Book of 1086. Another known spelling was Banesebury in medieval times. During excavations for
312-479: A White Horse of the nursery rhyme. It stands on the corner of West Bar and South Bar, just yards from the present Banbury Cross. Banbury has a museum in the town centre near Spiceball Park, replacing the old museum near Banbury Cross. It is accessible over a bridge from the Castle Quay Shopping Centre or via Spiceball Park Road. Admission to the museum is free. The town's tourist information centre
390-509: A bridle path to the west and south of the town), its primary use being transport of salt; and Banbury Lane, which began near Northampton and is closely followed by the modern 22-mile-long (35 km) road. It continued through what is now Banbury's High Street and towards the Fosse Way at Stow-on-the-Wold . Banbury's medieval prosperity was based on wool . Banbury Castle was built from 1135 by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln , and survived into
468-406: A children's play area and a skateboard park. Across the road from the main park there is the sports centre, which includes a swimming pool, courts, café and gym facilities. The sports centre began to be re-developed in late 2009, for a new centre and café, which was completed by mid 2010. Neithrop Neithrop is an inner housing estate and part of the greater Neithrop ward of Banbury , in
546-578: A local inn, the Reindeer Inn as it was then known (today's Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn). The town was pro-Parliamentarian, but the castle was manned by a Royalist garrison who supported King Charles I . In 1645 during the Civil War, Parliamentary troops were billeted in nearby Hanwell for nine weeks and villagers petitioned the Warwickshire Committee of Accounts to pay for feeding them. The castle
624-465: A minor play park by the Woodgreen Arcade. It was removed in 2006 after youths set the two spring riders on fire in 2002. This along with the general increase in vandalism and litter lead to the park's closure. The charred spring riders, the bench and the small roundabout were removed at this date. It was later tarmacked over and public access restored a short while later. The sizeable Stanbridge Park
702-686: A private park in 1890 and opened in 1910, along with the adjacent bowling green . The land south of The New Foscote Hospital in Calthorpe and Easington Farm were mostly open farmland until the early 1960s as shown by the Ordnance Survey maps of 1964, 1955 and 1947. It had only a few farmsteads, the odd house, an allotment field (now under the Sainsbury's store), the Municipal Borough of Banbury council's small reservoir just south of Easington Farm and
780-587: A water spring lay to the south of it. The Ruscote estate, which now has a notable South Asian community, was expanded in the 1950s because of the growth of the town due to the London overspill and further grew in the mid-1960s. British Railways closed Merton Street railway station and the Buckingham to Banbury line to passenger traffic at the end of 1960. Merton Street goods depot continued to handle livestock traffic for Banbury's cattle market until 1966, when this too
858-515: Is 52 feet 6 inches (16 m) high, and topped by a gilt cross. Towns with crosses in England before the reformation were places of Christian pilgrimage. The English nursery rhyme " Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross ", in its several forms, may refer to one of the crosses destroyed by Puritans in 1600. In April 2005, Princess Anne unveiled a large bronze statue depicting the Fine Lady upon
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#1733085714357936-532: Is a housing estate in the Neithrop ward of Banbury, Oxfordshire. It was formerly a council estate , but today many of its houses are owner-occupied and the remainder are owned by a housing association . Only a couple of farms and the Neithrop Guardens orchards stood in the unspoiled countryside until the 1940s. Wythicome Drive was built in 1947, but development then slowed and re-focused on Woodgreen. Most of
1014-567: Is an historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire , South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire and southern parts of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire which are predominantly rural. Banbury's main industries are motorsport, car components, electrical goods, plastics, food processing and printing. Banbury
1092-419: Is home to the world's largest coffee-processing facility ( Jacobs Douwe Egberts ), built in 1964. The town is famed for Banbury cakes , a spiced sweet pastry. Banbury is located 64 miles (103 km) north-west of London , 37 miles (60 km) south-east of Birmingham , 27 miles (43 km) south-east of Coventry and 22 miles (35 km) north-west of Oxford . The name Banbury may derive from "Banna",
1170-531: Is in the Cherwell Valley with many hills in and around the town. Apart from the town centre, much of Banbury is on a slope and each entry into the town is downhill. Estates such as Bretch Hill and Hardwick are built on top of a hill and much of the town can be seen from both. Other notable hills include the suburban, Crouch Hill and the more central Pinn Hill, and Strawberry Hill on the outskirts of Easington. Mine Hill and Rye Hill lie, along with many others, to
1248-577: Is located in the museum entrance in the Castle Quay Shopping Centre. Tooley's Boatyard was built in 1778 and is a historic site with a nearly 250-year-old blacksmiths' shop and narrow boat dry dock. Spiceball Park is the largest park in Banbury. It is east of the Oxford Canal , mainly west of the River Cherwell , north of Castle Quay and south of Hennef Way. It includes three large fields,
1326-475: Is now used as an entrance to a shopping centre. The Northern Aluminium Co. Ltd. or Alcan Industries Ltd. pig and rolled aluminium factory was opened in 1931 on land acquired in 1929 on the east of the Southam road, in the then hamlet of Hardwick. The various Alcan facilities on the 53-acre site closed between 2006 and 2007. The factory was demolished between 2008 and 2009. The laboratory was also closed in 2004 and
1404-404: Is now used as offices for numerous companies. Another major employer is Jacobs Douwe Egberts , which produces instant coffee . The facility moved to Banbury from Birmingham in 1965. In the central area were built many large shops, a bus station, and a large car park north of Castle Street. In 1969 proposals for the redevelopment of the central area were in hand, leading to the creation of
1482-452: Is priced for sale and is a tabloid. The Banbury Cake was formerly a free newspaper: its print edition ceased publication in 2017 and its website subsequently also closed. Regional TV news is provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian . Television signals received from the Oxford TV transmitter, although some parts of the town get a better TV signal from the local relay transmitter which
1560-520: Is roughly two-thirds the size of Princess Diana Park and contains the Stanbridge Children's Play Park and a netball court. It runs between Bretch Hill and Woodgreen. St. Louis Meadow park area was set for an £80,000 refurbishment on 3 September 2010. A plastic pay tunnel, some low wooden fencing, wood chippings, two cargo nets , a spring rider and a wooden climbing frame were added. At about 10.15pm on 9 February, fire fighters were called to
1638-573: Is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Local radio stations are BBC Radio Oxford , Heart South , and Capital Mid-Counties . Banbury Music Radio was a local Internet radio station . At one time Banbury had many crosses (the High Cross, the Bread Cross and the White Cross), but these were destroyed by Puritans in 1600. Banbury remained without a cross for more than 250 years until
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#17330857143571716-645: The Bishop of Lincoln 's demesne lands, and a fourth which was leased to Robert son of Waukelin by the Bishop. Among Banbury's four Medieval mills was probably a forerunner of Banbury Mill, first referred to by this name in 1695. In the year 1279, Laurence of Hardwick was also paying 3 marks (equivalent to 40 shillings) in annual rent to the Bishop for a mill in the then Hardwick hamlet. The forerunners of Butchers Row were probably long standing butchers' stalls which were known to be in situ by 1438. The old Victorian Corn Exchange
1794-458: The Cherwell district, in the county of Oxfordshire , England. It is one of the oldest areas in Banbury, having first been first recorded as a hamlet in the 13th century. Neithrop, Woodgreen and Bretch Hill are three interconnecting housing estates. In 1247 the hundred of Banbury was valued at £5 a year and in 1441 "certainty money" due from the northern part of the hundred was 89s. 8d. It
1872-611: The Civil War , when it was besieged. Due to its proximity to Oxford , the King's capital, Banbury was at one stage a Royalist town, but the inhabitants were known to be strongly Puritan . Banbury played an important part in the English Civil War as a base of operations for Oliver Cromwell , who is reputed to have planned the Battle of Edge Hill in the back room (which can still be visited) of
1950-571: The Local Government Act 1972 it became part of the traditionally Conservative-ruled Cherwell District Council , an unparished area with Charter Trustees . A civil parish with a town council was set up in 2000. The post of the mayor of Banbury was created in 1607. The first mayor was Thomas Webb. A number of roads are named after former mayors of the town, including Mascord Road, Mold Crescent and Fairfax Close. Another former mayor, Angela Billingham , went into national politics. Banbury
2028-619: The Poets' Corner estate and The Link. Cheney Coaches also ran a service that ran parallel to most of the Stagecoach routes between 1996 and 2004. Traffic congestion is problematic around The Shires crossroads and by Banbury Cross . It is also sometimes a problem in Orchard Way and outside the Admiral Holland pub. The Neithrop ward is traditionally a Labour ward but for the first time, during
2106-507: The Ruscote ward of Banbury, is a large food and coffee producing factory. It was built in 1964 and has gone through a number of ownership changes since. It is still sometimes known by its previous names of Bird's , Kraft and General Foods or GF. Banbury was once home to Western Europe's largest cattle market, on Merton Street in Grimsbury. The market was a key feature of Victorian life in
2184-519: The West Midlands . As such it has close cultural links with neighbouring Midlands towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon , Leamington Spa , and Warwick . In 1998 and 2007, Banbury was subject to heavy flooding due to its location by the River Cherwell. Heavy clay and Ironstone deposits surround Banbury. The Domesday Book in 1086 listed three mills, with a total fiscal value of 45 shillings , on
2262-486: The 1920s. The by then town of Neithrop was formally incorporated into the borough of Banbury in 1889. Banbury town council built the houses in King's Road and on the Easington estate at the time. Other working-class type houses were built at the south end of Britannia Road and the area to the east between 1881 and 1930, and also in both Old Grimsbury Road and Gibbs Road in Grimsbury. More up-market houses were built in both
2340-608: The 1994 and 1995 F1 World Championships was based on the Wildmere Industrial Estate. The Marussia F1 team had its manufacturing and production facility sited on Thorpe Way Industrial Estate using the building formerly owned by Ascari Cars , a luxury sports car manufacturer. Both Simtek and Marussia F1 had been brought to Banbury by Nick Wirth who owned the Simtek team and was the former Technical Director at Marussia. After Marussia F1 went into administration in 2014, their base
2418-525: The 2006 local elections for Cherwell District Council, the ward changed to one Labour councillor and one Conservative Party councillor. The traditionally present Green party candidate lost in 2006. The Greens have been present in the ward since the early 1990s. Labour still holds control for the Neithrop ward for the Banbury Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council. The Liberal Democrats , UKIP or British National Party fielded no candidate in
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2496-613: The British naval forces during the Battle of Denmark Strait in May 1941 against the German battleship Bismarck . He died aboard HMS Hood when attacking Bismarck in the Denmark Strait . The pub was demolished in 2017. The Yellow Park was one of the smallest parks in Banbury. It is situated next to a youth centre on Hilton Road in the Neithrop ward. The park gets its name from the fact that
2574-578: The Castle shopping centre in 1977 (the centre was later combined into the Castle Quay centre). The 1977 plans to build a multi-storey car park on what is now the open air car park behind Matalan and Poundland were scrapped in 1978 and another one was built to the rear of the Castle Shopping Centre in 1978. The former Hunt Edmunds brewery premises became Crest Hotels headquarters, but closed in
2652-463: The Centre of Banbury Studies was published in the 1870s or 1880s and it asserted that the term originated in the 1830s but no source is given for that assertion. In the 1850s magazine articles used "Banburyshire" or the hyphenated term "Banbury-shire". The Banburyshire Natural History Society was formed in 1881. In the 20th century a number of books used the term "Banburyshire" in their titles, dating from
2730-554: The Ironstones' paths. A plan existed in the late 2000s to expand the Bretchill estate west, into the local farmland, but this has now been suspended due to the credit crunch and local hostility to the plan, like the southern expansion towards Bodicote . In February 2006 Cherwell District Council voted to proceed with the plans despite the popular opposition and local campaigning against it. About 2,000 houses will be built in
2808-592: The Marlborough Road area and in Bath Road, Kings Road, Park Road, and Queen Street in Neithrop. Neithrop used to be the site of Banbury's mid Victorian workhouse and later contagious diseases hospital,which was situated in Warwick Road for about 100 years. After World War II the workhouse was used as a hospital until it was demolished and built over in the 1980s. There have been various housing developments since
2886-411: The River Cherwell. On the opposite bank they built Grimsbury , which was formerly part of Northamptonshire . Another district, Neithrop , is one of the oldest areas in Banbury, having first been recorded as a hamlet in the 13th century. Both Grimsbury and Neithrop were formally incorporated into the borough of Banbury in 1889. Banbury stands at the junction of two ancient roads: Salt Way (used as
2964-595: The UK's lowest unemployment rates, as of April 2016 it stood at 0.7%. Once Poland joined the European Union in 2004, a number of Banbury-based employment agencies began advertising for staff in major Polish newspapers. In 2006 one estimate placed between 5,000 and 6,000 Poles in the town. With the influx of the largely Roman Catholic Poles, one local church was offering a Mass said partially in Polish and specialist Polish food shops had opened. Jacobs Douwe Egberts , in
3042-476: The area covered and one of the few major ones not to be built on a steep hill like Calthorpe Park is. The Woodgreen estate lies in the intermediate area between the Neithrop and Bretch Hill housing estates and was built over the former Victorian village of Wood Green in the 1930s. The name 'Woodgreen' was hyphenated from 1927 to 1937, and merged by 1947. An Ordnance Survey map from 1882 reveals Park Road and part of Queen's road were partly built. Queen's road
3120-481: The border of Banburyshire's area. There was a plan in the late 2000s to expand the Bretch Hill estate westwards into local farmland, but this has now been suspended due to the credit crunch and local hostility to the plan, including the southern expansion towards Bodicote . The Hanwell Fields Estate was built in the north between 2001 and 2009. It was intended to provide affordable social housing to
3198-531: The closure of the Woodgreen Arcade play park in mid-2006. There were some concerns over antisocial behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park, and that fly-tipping in Banbury also affects some streets and footpaths such as on the Ironstones' paths. Woodgreen's 45-year-old youth club was closed in April 2010, demolished during July 2010, and its replacement
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3276-507: The construction of an office building in Hennef Way in 2002, the remains of a British Iron Age settlement with circular buildings dating back to 200 BC were found. The site contained around 150 pieces of pottery and stone. Later there was a Roman villa at nearby Wykham Park. The area was settled by the Saxons around the late 5th century. In about 556 Banbury was the scene of a battle between
3354-464: The current Banbury Cross was erected in 1859 at the centre of the town to commemorate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal (eldest child of Queen Victoria ) to Prince Frederick of Prussia . The current Banbury Cross is a stone, spire-shaped monument decorated in Gothic form . Statues of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V were added in 1914 to commemorate the coronation of George V. The cross
3432-673: The early 1960s. The county of Oxfordshire has two main commercial centres, the city of Oxford itself that serves most of the south of the county, and Banbury that serves the north (such as Adderbury , Cropredy , Deddington , Wroxton , Great Bourton , and Bloxham ) plus parts of the neighbouring counties of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire . The villages of King's Sutton and Middleton Cheney , and possibly also Aynho , Fenny Compton , Charlton , and Croughton could be considered part of Banburyshire, as well as Upper and Lower Brailes . The settlements of Bicester , Hinton-in-the-Hedges , Chipping Norton , and Hook Norton are on
3510-416: The episcopal estate was a phenomenon of the times. This part of Banbury was the scene of rioting in 1589 after the local maypole was destroyed by Puritans . Long before enclosure, the tenants of Neithrop had become freeholders, as recorded in the land deeds of 1583 to 1608 and 1614, with the permission of both Sir Anthony Cope and then his son Sir William Cope. The Land rights over the tenants' land of
3588-518: The estate, which will include local shops, a post office, a school and other local services. The more popular, and upmarket Hanwell Fields Estate was built in the north during 2008 and 2009. It was meant to bring affordable social housing to the west and south of Banbury, while providing for more upmarket housing in the Hanwell fields area. Whilst they are officially part of the Bretch Hill estate, they were originally created as separate entities in
3666-703: The former episcopal estate in the boroughs of Calthorpe and Neithrop seem to have passed to the Cope family, which also held property there which had been included in the Duke of Somerset 's land grant of Hardwick to Anthony Cope in 1548. In the early 17th century the Copes granted the freehold of much of their Neithrop land to their tenants and lessees, such as the Parnells, in an act of great generosity for this time. Further expansion in Neithrop occurred after 1850; thus St. Paul's Terrace and
3744-507: The group as Managing Director. In 1996 Peter Fowler led a management buyout and in 1999 acquired London-based business, CSG (Fire and Security) Ltd. A restructuring in October 2000 resulted in the sale of Westminster Security Systems and its holding company, Westminster Security Group, to Chubb Electronic Security . The Westminster Group's land, buildings and manufacturing business, Westminster Technologies Ltd, were retained and transferred over to
3822-545: The houses on the west side of Paradise Road were among several small terraces that had been built in Neithrop village before 1881, besides some 50 houses in the newly laid out Park Road and Queen Street. A sawmill, timber yard and vine nursery had all come into existence behind the Magistrates court by 1882 and along Green Street and Nursery Lane, but only the Nursery Lane/Green Street vine nursery had survived until
3900-580: The late 1960s to early 1970s and mid-1970s to early 1980s respectively. Trinity Close was mostly built between 1973 and 1975. Powys Grove is near the Barley Mow Pub and Trinity Close is opposite the North Oxfordshire Academy school. The Bretch Hill Road may have remained a long cul-de-sac not reached the main road near the Drayton School or have had Appelby and Penrith Closes added to it, if
3978-607: The late 1970s and was abandoned in the late 1980s, while the Crown Hotel and the Foremost Tyres/Excel Exhausts shops found new owners after they closed in 1976 due to falling sales. Hella , a vehicle electronics firm, closed its factory on the Southam Road in the mid-2000s. The ironmonger , Hoods, opened in the mid-1960s and closed in 2007, with the shop becoming part of the then enlarged Marks and Spencer . Owing to
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#17330857143574056-458: The late 1980s. An old car show room and garage, opposite the Texaco garage, was demolished and replaced by a local housing scheme, in 2004, as was an old warehouse and car park that lay next to The Shires crossroads. Neithrop was formerly a township in the parish of Banbury, in 1866 Neithrop became a separate civil parish , on 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished and merged with Banbury. In 1931
4134-512: The local Anglo-Saxons of Cynric and Ceawlin , and the local Romano-British . It was a local centre for Anglo-Saxon settlement by the mid-6th century. Banbury developed in the Anglo-Saxon period under Danish influence, starting in the late 6th century. It was assessed at 50 hides in the Domesday survey and was then held by the Bishop of Lincoln . The Saxons built Banbury on the west bank of
4212-462: The long planned Banbury by-pass had gone ahead in the early to mid-1980s. Since then there has been much redevelopment work done, with the demolition of the old lock-up garages between Appleby Close and Edinburgh Close making way for a car park and a small housing development. There is the Barley Mow Pub which was built in its present form in 1981 replacing the M&;B old pub that stood on the road side and
4290-732: The new Westminster Group Plc. In 2007, Westminster Group was then listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange . In September 2021, Westminster Group won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade . Westminster Group signed with the Palace of Westminster to provide, replace and maintain all security screening equipment; and later on, including the Tower of London and Scottish Parliament . Banbury Banbury
4368-476: The northeast, southeast and west of Banbury. Banbury is located at the bank of the River Cherwell which sweeps through the town, going just east of the town centre with Grimsbury being the only estate east of the river. Banbury is at the northern extreme of the UK's South East England region, less than two miles (3 km) from the boundary with the East Midlands , and three miles (5 km) from that with
4446-478: The parish had a population of 8165. A major furniture shop, police station and a Texaco garage are located in the ward. Neithrop is also home to a specialist school : Neithrop is home to the People's Park which opened in 1910, has a bird house, tennis courts, a large field and a children's play area. The park is often used in the summer to hold small festivals. The park is also one of the town's biggest in terms of
4524-435: The play area in St. Louis Meadow park, after a member of public reported a fire inside the play area. A plastic tunnel had been deliberately burnt by local youths. It will take £85,000 to repair the devastated park. This tragically mirrored an event in the Spiceball park that caused heavy damage on 8 February 2007, but did not deter the council from doing its planned £90,000 and the 2006 arson of two spring riders that led to
4602-416: The rest were freed from their rent obligations. In 1225 there were 46 tenants in Neithrop with average land holding 1.3 yardlands, but by 1441 there were 21 tenants with an average holding 2.9 yardlands and by 1575 a further land amalgamation had been carried out with only 17 tenants retaining an average holding 3.5 yardlands. The Bishop of Lincoln 's vast Banbury estate, except for Neithrop and Calthorpe,
4680-399: The slide, monkey bars and climbing frame are all yellow. It also has swings inside the play area. There is also a small field in the park measuring approximately 2000 m . It was destroyed when the youth centre was expanded in 2010. The Woodgreen Arcade play park 52°03′48″N 1°21′10″W / 52.063267°N 1.352726°W / 52.063267; -1.352726 (approx.) was
4758-431: The streets' first inhabitants were from Banbury, London and Oxford . The estate was built in the 1960s because of the growth of the town due to the North London overspill and a slum clearance scheme in both Solihull and Coventry . It was expanded further in the north during the mid-1970s. The estate is also home to the large Princess Diana Park. The now derelict Bretch Farm, near Claypits Close, opened in about 1900,
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#17330857143574836-459: The surrounding area's notable links with world motorsport , the town is home to many well known organisations within the industry. Prodrive , one of the world's largest motorsport and automotive technology specialists, is based in the town as are a host of race teams involved in competition across many different disciplines and countries. Within Formula One , two teams have had their base of operations in Banbury. The Simtek team which competed in
4914-527: The town and county. It was formally closed in June 1998, after being abandoned several years earlier and was replaced with a new housing development and Dashwood Primary School. Banbury railway station is served by three train operating companies: The town's bus routes are operated primarily by Stagecoach in Oxfordshire both within the town and linking it with Brackley , Chipping Norton , Oxford and places further afield including Daventry , Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon . Hennef Way ( A422 )
4992-425: The west and north of Banbury, and more upmarket housing in the Hanwell fields area. In January 1554 Banbury was granted a royal charter that established the town as a borough to be governed by the aldermen of the town. The same charter created the position of High Steward of Banbury . Banbury was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835 . It retained a borough council until 1974, when under
5070-447: Was built on the grounds of Hanwell Farm during 2005 and 2006. Banburyshire is an informal area centred on Banbury, claimed to include parts of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire as well as north Oxfordshire . Use of the term dates from the early to mid 19th century. It was common in the 19th century for market towns in England to describe their hinterland by tacking "shire" onto the town's name. "Stones Map of Banburyshire" held by
5148-446: Was built on. There were many small, Victorian clay pits and kilns in the south west of Banbury, but they had closed by the 1920s. The Bradley Arcade shopping centre was built circa 1965 and named after police inspector James Roy Bradley , who was deliberately run down and killed by wanted criminals at a local police road block in 1967. The Willy Freund Centre closed in 2004 due to a funding crisis and increasing teenage rowdiness. It
5226-428: Was completed by the 1900 map edition and King's road was mostly completed by the 1922 edition. Banbury's Woodgreen Youth Centre was built in 1964 and opened in 1965. It is situated in Woodgreen, next to both the Neithrop Library and the Woodgreen Leisure Centre. The low rise flats called Kennedy House were named after US President John F. Kennedy when they were built in the mid-1960s. The Woodgreen swimming pool
5304-399: Was demolished after the war. The opening of the Oxford Canal from Hawkesbury Junction to Banbury on 30 March 1778 gave the town a cheap and reliable supply of Warwickshire coal. In 1787 the Oxford Canal was extended southwards, finally opening to Oxford on 1 January 1790. The canal's main boat yard was the original outlay of today's Tooley's Boatyard . People's Park was set up as
5382-658: Was discontinued and the railway dismantled. In March 1962 Sir John Betjeman celebrated the line from Culworth Junction in his poem Great Central Railway, Sheffield Victoria to Banbury . British Railways closed this line too in 1966. The main railway station, previously called Banbury General but now called simply Banbury , is now served by trains running from London Paddington via Reading and Oxford once daily, from London Marylebone via High Wycombe and Bicester onwards to Birmingham and Kidderminster and by CrossCountry Trains from Bournemouth and Reading to Birmingham , Manchester and Newcastle . Banbury used to have
5460-404: Was due to open in early 2011. The redevelopment plan was valued at £ 3,000,000. The small shopping complex, called the Woodgreen Arcade, which includes a Chinese takeaway shop, chemists and a popular convenience shop, is on the opposite side of the road to the Admiral Holland pub. It was built in the early 1960s and was slated for redevelopment in 2010, unlike the similarly aged pub. Bretch Hill
5538-402: Was expanded slightly in 1910, lost a large part of its land to the Bretch hill development (the watertower and communications transmissions mast ) in the 1960s, closed in 1990 and has been derelict ever since. Trinity Close and Powys Grove were originally created as separate entities between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Claypits Close was built circa 2007 and named after the old clay pit it
5616-550: Was made up of payments from Shutford , Claydon , Swalcliffe , Great Bourton and Little Bourton , Prescote , Hardwick , Calthorpe and Neithrop, Wickham , Wardington , Williamscot , Swalcliffe Lea , and the former "prebend" of Banbury. By 1568 these, except the rent from Wardington and amounted to 69s. 4d. in 1652, when the total profits of court were valued at 103s. 4d. a year in "certainty money". In 1875 payments were made only by Williamscot, Swalcliffe, Prescote, Great and Little Bourton, Neithrop, Claydon, and Shutford since
5694-406: Was opened in early 1939 and renovated in the late 1970s. It was closed in the early 2000s, heavily renovated in 2009 and reopened in 2010. The much frequented outdoor pool is closed from September to March due to the bad seasonal weather. The Admiral Holland pub and the neighbouring houses were built circa 1960–1961. The pub was named after Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland , who was in command of
5772-542: Was purchased by the United States–based Haas F1 Team to service their cars during the European races. Until 2017, when the team went into administration and subsequently folded, Manor Racing (the successor to Marussia) was based in the town. Arden Motorsport , a British multi-formula motorsports team (founded by Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner ), is also based in the town. Banbury has one of
5850-458: Was reopened in September 2010, after a six-month period of heavy renovation work. Prior to 2004 and since reopening it is the local youth centre. Bretch Hill is served by four schools: There were some concerns over anti-social behaviour and heavier than average litter levels in Princess Diana Park and Hillview Park and that fly-tipping in Banbury also affects some streets and footpaths such as on
5928-473: Was run by "Nelly?" until her retirement. There are none. Most pupils go to either William Morris School or the North Oxfordshire Academy , the latter being built in the 1970s. The local bus services in Banbury town centre radiate out to the various estates. Those to Bretch Hill, Woodgreen, and Hardwick are run by the Stagecoach Oxfordshire bus company. Heyfordian Travel also run a service via
6006-480: Was sold to the Duke of Somerset in 1547, but by 1550 he granted it (except for Hardwick) to John Dudley , Earl of Warwick , then the Duke of Northumberland shortly afterwards, who in 1551 granted it to the Crown in exchange for other lands. In 1545, Bishop Longland leased Easington to his holy registrar , John Frankyshe of Neithrop for 50 years from the expiry of the incumbent lease in 1561. The advance leasing of
6084-449: Was upgraded to a dual carriageway , easing traffic on the heavily congested road and providing north Banbury and the town centre with higher-capacity links to the M40 motorway . The Oxford Canal is a popular place for pleasure trips and tourism. The canal's main boatyard is now the listed site Tooley's Boatyard . The Banbury Guardian is published weekly on Thursdays by Johnston Press ,
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