DEDDINGTON DEANERY PILGRIMAGE
Deddington Deanery is situated in the north of Oxfordshire and covers that part of ‘Banburyshire’ which lies in the county of Oxford. The pilgrimage links all the 36 Church of England churches of the deanery on a route which takes in the large urban centre of Banbury and its immediate environs, a number of quite substantial settlements (large villages which nearly qualify as towns) and around 25 smaller villages and hamlets. Most of the route is in the beautiful North Oxfordshire ironstone hill country with the Cotswolds beginning to the west. The area is rich in historical interest with evidences of the Civil War of the mid 17th century particular apparent along the pilgrimage route. Many of the churches, besides bearing witness to their settlements’ past, are also of great architectural merit and all of them, as they have been since their foundation, continue to be places where the spirit can be nourished in quiet meditation and prayer.
Much of the route gives the walker the opportunity of the peaceful enjoyment of beautiful scenery, but not all of it. The tranquillity of the countryside and its villages contrasts strongly with the busyness of Banbury and the noise of the M40 and other big roads, audible for stretches along the route. The route’s contrast between urban and rural and between ancient and modern poses significant questions about 21st century living, the pondering of which is one of the most rewarding possibilities of the pilgrimage.
Deddington Deanery is situated in the north of Oxfordshire and covers that part of ‘Banburyshire’ which lies in the county of Oxford. The pilgrimage links all the 36 Church of England churches of the deanery on a route which takes in the large urban centre of Banbury and its immediate environs, a number of quite substantial settlements (large villages which nearly qualify as towns) and around 25 smaller villages and hamlets. Most of the route is in the beautiful North Oxfordshire ironstone hill country with the Cotswolds beginning to the west. The area is rich in historical interest with evidences of the Civil War of the mid 17th century particular apparent along the pilgrimage route. Many of the churches, besides bearing witness to their settlements’ past, are also of great architectural merit and all of them, as they have been since their foundation, continue to be places where the spirit can be nourished in quiet meditation and prayer.
Much of the route gives the walker the opportunity of the peaceful enjoyment of beautiful scenery, but not all of it. The tranquillity of the countryside and its villages contrasts strongly with the busyness of Banbury and the noise of the M40 and other big roads, audible for stretches along the route. The route’s contrast between urban and rural and between ancient and modern poses significant questions about 21st century living, the pondering of which is one of the most rewarding possibilities of the pilgrimage.