Garsington is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. "A History of the County of Oxfordshire" provides a detailed history of the parish from 1082. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,689. The village is known for the artistic colony and flamboyant social life of

the Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

Garsington Manor Garsington Manor, in the village of Garsington, near Oxford, England, is a country house, dating from the 17th century. Its fame derives principally from its owner in the early 20th century, the "legendary Ottoline Morrell, who held court from 19 ...

when it was the home from 1914 to 1928 of

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and Ottoline Morrell, and for the Garsington Opera which was staged here from 1989 until 2010.

Buildings

Garsington Manor

Garsington Manor in Southend was built in the 16th century and remodelled in the 17th century. It is a Grade II* listed building. It was the home of Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873–1938), doyenne of the

Bloomsbury group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

of writers and artists who used to meet at the manor. These included the philosopher Bertrand Russell, the writers Aldous Huxley,

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, Virginia Woolf and

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

and the artists Mark Gertler, Eric Gill and Dora Carrington. Garsington Manor was bought in 1982 by

Leonard Ingrams Leonard Victor Ingrams, OBE (1 September 1941 – 27 July 2005) was a financier and opera festival founder/impresario. Leonard Ingrams was the youngest of four sons. His parents were Leonard St Clair Ingrams, who served in the Secret Service ...

who established the Garsington Opera, an annual open air opera festival which was staged there each summer from 1989 until 2010. The opera moved to Wormsley Park,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

in 2011.

Parish church

The oldest part of the parish church of

Saint Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

includes the tower, built towards the end of the 12th century in the transitional style between

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and Early English. The chancel is pure Early English and was built or rebuilt in about 1300. St Mary's has Decorated Gothic north and south aisles, which were added in the 14th century and have four-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

arcades. St Mary's was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in 1849 under the direction of the Gothic Revival architect Joseph Clarke. Clarke's alterations included rebuilding the chancel arch to match the north arcade, adding gargoyles to the south aisle and much remodelling of the north aisle. St Mary's is a Grade II* listed building. Inside, next to the entrance door, is a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

to Garsington's most illustrious inhabitant, Ottoline Morrell, by Eric Gill. The west tower has a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

of six bells. Richard Keene of Woodstock cast the treble bell in 1696. Abraham II Rudhall of Gloucester cast the second bell in 1720. Henry III Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire cast the third bell in 1733, presumably at his then foundry in Witney. John Rudhall of Gloucester cast the tenor bell in 1788. W&J Taylor cast the fifth bell in 1825, presumably at their then foundry in Oxford. The fourth bell was cast in 1732 but Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry recast it in 1929. The bells were restored in 2013. Thomas Thwaites of

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

in London built the turret clock for the tower in 1796 at a cost of £172 4s 0d. It is a 30-hour clock and it strikes the hours on the tenor bell. Its dials still have only an hour hand. St Mary's parish is now part of the

Benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Garsington, Cuddesdon and Horspath. The wedding scene in the 2006 film '' Amazing Grace'' was filmed at the church.

School

A parish school was built in Garsington in 1840. It was reorganised as a junior school in 1923. It now occupies more modern premises and is a Church of England primary school.

Village hall

The village hall was built in 1911 and given to the village by

Philip Morrell Philip Edward Morrell (4 June 1870 – 5 January 1943) was a British Liberal politician. Background Morrell was the son of Frederic Morrell, a solicitor of Black Hall, Oxford, by his wife Harriette Anne, daughter of the President of St John's ...

. For most of the 20th century it served the needs of the villagers and a number of small improvements were made over the years. It was renovated to bring it up to modern day standards. The building retains its original appearance as well as adding modern-day facilities.

Amenities

Garsington has a public house: the Three Horseshoes, with the Red Lion and the Plough having closed. Garsington Sports and Social Club is in Denton Lane. It has two men's football teams that play in the

Oxfordshire Senior Football League The Oxfordshire Senior Football League is an association football competition based in Oxfordshire, England. The league has three divisions; the Premier Division comprising clubs' first teams, whilst the other two divisions are reserve and devel ...

and two youth teams that play in the '' Oxford Mail'' Youth League Garsington

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

Club plays in the Oxfordshire Cricket Association League Division Five. The Garsington Society seeks to expand the knowledge of the history and geography of Garsington and its surrounding areas, and organises talks, walks, and social events. Garsington has a Women's Institute. The next dramatic production by the Garsington Players will be " When We Are Married" in February 2023. The village has an exceptionally rich network of footpaths and bridleways which are maintained by local volunteers. This includes a section of the Oxford Green Belt way. The ''city11'' bus service connects Garsington to Oxford and Watlington. There has never been a railway station. Nearby stations include Oxford, Didcot Parkway, and Thame and Haddenham Parkway.

Residents

In addition to the Bloomsbury Group and the Garsington Opera residents have included historians John Wheeler-Bennett, Raymond Dawson and

Russell Meiggs Russell Meiggs (20 October 1902 – 24 June 1989) was a British ancient historian. He did extensive research on the Roman port city of Ostia. Early life and education Meiggs was born at Balham, south London, son of William Herrick Meiggs (1866- ...

, writers

Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

, Adrian Townsend, Howard Marks and Janet Bolam, surgeon Edgar Somerville, medical scientist Paul Bolam and mathematician

Roger Heath-Brown David Rodney "Roger" Heath-Brown FRS (born 12 October 1952), is a British mathematician working in the field of analytic number theory. Education He was an undergraduate and graduate student of Trinity College, Cambridge; his research supervis ...

Gallery

File:Garsington OldSchool.jpg, The 1840 building of Garsington parish school. The school now has more modern premises in the parish, and the old building is now a house. File:St Mary's Church, Garsington, interior.jpg, Inside St Mary's parish church File:Garsington PreachingCross.JPG, Garsington

preaching cross A preaching cross is a Christian cross sometimes surmounting a pulpit, which is erected outdoors to designate a preaching place. In Great Britain, Britain and Ireland, many free-standing upright crosses – or high crosses – were erected. Some ...

has its medieval base and a remnant of its medieval shaft. Upon it are a small 20th century shaft and top. File:Garsington StMary MorrellMonument1938.JPG, Monument in St Mary's parish church to Lady Ottoline Morrell, carved by Eric Gill

References

Sources

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External links

Garsington Parish CouncilGarsington Village HallGarsington Voluntary DriversGarsington Good NeighboursGarsington Greatness (Facebook)Garsington Community PlanOxford Green Belt
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire District Villages in Oxfordshire