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A nice spot to watch river activity from

Little Wittenham has a very pretty church. It is surprising to find that it is not terribly ancient, for it was almost entirely rebuilt in 1862. The original building was built for the monks of Abingdon Abbey who held a monastic grange next door. The 14th century tower is original, as is its 'Ace of Spades' window - a reminder that this playing card paid for its erection when it brought a huge win to a local merchant! This may be a variant on the old story which suggests that the last of the Dunch family at the manor gambled away his home to King James II. The Dunches once had a family chapel on the south side of the chancel. Their fine monuments are now squeezed into the space under the tower. The great treasure of the church is the large monument to Sir William Dunch (1612) and his wife, Mary, the aunt of Oliver Cromwell. The Tudor brasses surrounding it include the first William Dunch (1597). There is a good collection of earlier brasses in the chancel: Geoffrey Kidwelly (1483) has an altar-style monument. His wife (1472) is on the floor with other members of this Lancastrian family from Wales who entered into the service of King Henry VI.

There are records which suggest the presence of a bridge on the site in the 14th century but this structure was short-lived and crossing was made by ferry from at least 1379 until a timber bridge was built in 1767. The present stone structure dates from 1827. A toll was payable on both the ferry and the subsequent bridges until 1874 when the County Councils of Berkshire and Oxfordshire joined to buy the bridge from its private trustees and scrapped the charges.

As a memorial to the many dead, such monuments - usually called "war memorials" in English - are still very important today. "Now, Lord, you let your servant depart in peace, as you have said..." says the so-called "Hymn of Simeon" (Luke 2, verse 29). However, the people who are remembered here did not depart in peace, but became victims of war and tyranny. Therefore, the term "fallen memorial" is now sometimes used in German instead of the previously common "war memorial".

On the patronage of this church dedicated to "Saint LAWRENCE": He is one of the early Christian Roman martyrs from a time when Christianity was still strictly forbidden. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II and after his execution was ordered by the pagan emperor Valerian to hand over the treasure of the church to him. Laurentius asked for three days to do this, distributed the church's assets among the poor inhabitants of Rome and, after the agreed time, came to the emperor with the poor to present them to him as the treasure of the church. He was then tortured to death. Legend has it that he was roasted alive on a grate - this attribute can be seen in many depictions of Saint Lawrence - over coals. He is said to have been in good spirits and asked his executioner if he would turn him over. The memorial day of Saint Lawrence in the calendar of saints is August 10th, the recorded date of his execution in A.D. 258.

Nice for the early morning sun

Blewbury is a gorgeous little village located at the foothills of the Berkshire Downs. The village is surrounded by farmland and overlooked by an iron-age hillfort. It's nearby to many beautiful walks, including the Ridgeway, Britain's oldest road!

Pleasant village surrounded by quiet lanes with good visibility of oncoming cars