Oxfordshire Tourist Guide - Articles
Out and about in Banbury
The market town of Banbury is on the River Cherwell and also stands on the Oxford Canal, built in 1790 which connects it to the Midlands.
The town’s history was built on the wool trade and then grew with the canal and railway built from 1850. Today its proximity to the M40 is one of the main links to the town from Oxford, London, Stratford Upon Avon and Birmingham.
It has many large companies in the town with one of the biggest being Kraft Foods, the makers of Maxwell House Coffee.
Out and about in Banbury you will find the Banbury Cross which commemorates the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter the Princess Royal to Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1859. Also there is the nursery rhyme which refers to ‘Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross’ and the theory about the ‘fine lady’ referred to in the rhyme could have been about a local girl, Queen Elizabeth 1st or Lady Godiva - take your pick.
In 2005 the Princess Royal unveiled a large bronze statue depicting a ‘Fine Lady on a White Horse’ on the corner of West Bar and South Bar, yards from the existing Banbury Cross.
Out and about in Banbury you have a chance to visit the Banbury Museum which is near to the Castle Quay Shopping Centre where admission is free. Having visited the museum spend time browsing in the shopping mall of Castle Quay where there is a great selection of shops. Market day is Thursday and Saturday and is a very lively day out in the town.
Banbury is also famous for its Banbury cakes, a special fruit and pastry cake which can be found in the local bakeries in the town today.
There are numerous other shops, restaurants of all types with interesting walks to take in the history of the town.
Out and about in Banbury
The town’s history was built on the wool trade and then grew with the canal and railway built from 1850. Today its proximity to the M40 is one of the main links to the town from Oxford, London, Stratford Upon Avon and Birmingham.
It has many large companies in the town with one of the biggest being Kraft Foods, the makers of Maxwell House Coffee.
Out and about in Banbury you will find the Banbury Cross which commemorates the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter the Princess Royal to Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1859. Also there is the nursery rhyme which refers to ‘Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross’ and the theory about the ‘fine lady’ referred to in the rhyme could have been about a local girl, Queen Elizabeth 1st or Lady Godiva - take your pick.
In 2005 the Princess Royal unveiled a large bronze statue depicting a ‘Fine Lady on a White Horse’ on the corner of West Bar and South Bar, yards from the existing Banbury Cross.
Out and about in Banbury you have a chance to visit the Banbury Museum which is near to the Castle Quay Shopping Centre where admission is free. Having visited the museum spend time browsing in the shopping mall of Castle Quay where there is a great selection of shops. Market day is Thursday and Saturday and is a very lively day out in the town.
Banbury is also famous for its Banbury cakes, a special fruit and pastry cake which can be found in the local bakeries in the town today.
There are numerous other shops, restaurants of all types with interesting walks to take in the history of the town.
Out and about in Banbury