Swinbrook
Swinbrook is a village on the River Windrush, about 2 miles (3 km) east of Burford in Oxfordshire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Swinbrook and Widford. Widford is a hamlet about 0.5 miles (800 m) west of Swinbrook. The 2011 Census recorded Swinbrook and Widford's parish population as 139.[1]
Swinbrook | |
---|---|
![]() St. Mary the Virgin parish church | |
![]() ![]() Swinbrook Location within Oxfordshire | |
Population | 135 (parish, with Widford) (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SP2812 |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Burford |
Postcode district | OX18 |
Dialling code | 01993 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Oxfordshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
History
![](../I/Fettiplace_monuments%252C_Swinbrook_Church_(Nancy).jpg.webp)
The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin dates from about 1200.[2] Its unusual open-sided bell-tower was added in 1822.[2] The church is noted for its 17th-century Fettiplace monuments.[3]
David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale had Swinbrook House built 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the village.[4] Four of his six daughters (the "Mitford sisters") are buried in the parish churchyard: Nancy, Unity, and Diana are buried side by side, while Pamela is buried northwest of the tower.[5] There is a tablet in the church commemorating their only brother, Tom, killed in March 1945 in Burma.
St Mary's also has a monument to the officers and men of the Royal Navy submarine HMS P514, and especially its commander, Lieutenant W.A. Phillimore, whose parents lived at Swinbrook. In 1942 P514 failed to identify herself to the Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper HMCS Georgian. The Canadian ship therefore assumed the submarine to be an enemy vessel and rammed P514, sinking her with the loss of all hands.
Swinbrook Cricket Club[6] has two teams. They play in division 5 and 10 respectively of the Oxfordshire Cricket Association.[7]
References
![](../I/Swinbrook_StMaryV_MonumentPhillimore.JPG.webp)
- "Area: Swinbrook and Widford (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 799.
- Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 800.
- Ottewell 1999, p. 71.
- Pearson 2004, p. 93.
- Swinbrook Cricket Club Archived 18 July 2012 at Archive.today
- Oxfordshire Cricket Association
Sources and further reading
- Case, Humphrey (1958). "Swinbrook, Oxon". Oxoniensia. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society. XXIII: 138.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Hinton, David A. (1971). "Medieval Pottery from Swinbrook, Oxon". Oxoniensia. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society. XXXVI: 107–110.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Ottewell, Gordon (1999). Literary strolls around the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 71. ISBN 1-85058-687-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Pearson, Lynn F (2004). Discovering Famous Graves. Oxford: Shire Publications. p. 93. ISBN 0747806195.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 799–800. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)