Would you like to take a little wander with me to the quaint West Oxfordshire village of Kelmscott, in Southern England?
If you think of Oxfordshire, Kelmscott is not necessary the first place on your mind. You probably think of its centre of scholarly excellence Oxford. Readers of this blog have been with me previously as we take a little stroll around this magnificent city:
Oxford is famous for its University, its architecture, the influence on the English language via the Oxford English Dictionary and the people who went there. An eclectic bunch of the worlds prominent people from Stephen Hawkin to the author of my favourite quote:
‘Not all those who wander are lost’
J R R TOLKIEN
Or perhaps you have been already been here on your own travels, or by watching one of the many great movies filmed against this wonderful backdrop; Brideshead Revisited, 101 Dalmatians, Saving Private Ryan, A Fish Called Wander, X Men: First Class, Harry Potter etc?
Do tell where you favourite part of Oxford or Oxfordshire is?
Maybe you were with me in 2015 when we stumbled upon the 150th Anniversary of Alice in Oxford?
“If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Kelmscott is tucked away on the borders of Oxfordshire, Gloucester and Wiltshire close to the not to be missed Cotswolds with their sheer Chocolate box appeal in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.
Cirencester, Glos High Street
Think pretty villages and towns with a rich history, cute cottages, the River Thames with boats and white swans, and internationally renowned annual events…. Which bring us back to the sleepy village of Kelmscott.
You could easily pass by the tiny hamlet of Kelmscott in favour of Oxford, Cirencester or the Cotswold villages and indeed many would do, had it not been for the notoriety brought by a Mr William Morris (born:1834, died:1896)
The designer, writer and socialite rented Kelmscott Manor in the 1870s along with his colleague the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
William Morris designs
The Manor which dates from 1570 is closed to the Public in the winter. The Grade 1 listed Tudor farmhouse adjacent to the River Thames is definitely worth a visit to learn more about William Morris and see his original textiles and furnishings and enjoy the beautiful garden with easy access to the River Thames pathway.
A drive around the pretty villages gives a glimpse into Country life. There are two working farms, St Georges Church, but no shop or public transport. This wealth of history dates back to Roman times.
The good news is the pub, serving good pub grub is open all year round. When we meet the locals, ok it was Christmas time and the wearing of Christmas jumpers are obligatory in the UK, it seems the village pub is a big part of their lives!
Yes, my visit to Kelmscott was for one of the big events of the year the Kelmscott Christmas craft market!
For a small event it is well publicised and in the Morris memorial hall (designed by Gimson) we find this small village with less than 100 residents it has a big welcome. On a bleak drizzly winter, we are greeted by jaunty coloured bunting.
Morris Memorial Hall, Kelmscott, Oxfordshire
The Cotswold stone hall is attractively decorated with Christmas wreaths for sale, a wooden stairway leads up to the stage where the best bargain coffee and shortbread mince tart is on offer along with an impressive display of preserves and chutneys all lined up on the piano. Who said village life was boring.
I’m loving all the jams and chutneys we bought at the Christmas Craft market
Inside the hall the stall holders have their wares on display, my eye is immediately drawn to the crocodile booties, oh how we all wished we had someone to buy these for.
I nearly lost the plot completely and was headed to buy the reindeer booties for the Crazy Poodle when I could imagine his look, he is such a good-natured pooch!
Thank you for joining me for this visit to this still tranquil part of West Oxfordshire. If you get a chance pop in, you won’t be disappointed. Take a wander yourself and enjoy what Morris is described when he called Kelmscott Manor as the ‘loveliest haunt of Ancient Peace’ which is probably as true today as it was in 1871.
We are on Day 16 of the Blogging from A-Z challenge Wren’s Worldwide Wanderings:
O is for Oxfordshire, England
Lovely to see you here!
2 comments
I haven’t been to Kelmscott, it sounds rather nice though. Happy Easter.
That looks like a cute villiage to visit. I would love the craft market, too.