Binsey is a village by the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

about northwest of the centre of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. It is the opposite side of the river from

Port Meadow Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England. Overview The meadow is an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and according to legend has never bee ...

and about southwest of the ruins of Godstow Abbey.

History

Binsey's most noted feature is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St Margaret, set at some distance north of the surviving houses. It dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Its fame lies mostly in that just outside its west end and belltower stands St Margaret's Well, a Grade II

, which is the model for

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

’s ‘Treacle Well’ from

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

; this is a holy well dedicated to

St Frideswide Frithuswith, commonly Frideswide (c. 65019 October 727; ang, Friðuswīþ), was an English princess and abbess. She is credited as the foundress of a monastery later incorporated into Christ Church, Oxford. She was the daughter of a sub-ki ...

, patron saint of

. According to legend, she fled to Binsey in a bid to escape marriage to a king of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era=Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ye ...

, whose pursuit of her was halted when he was struck blind at the gates of Oxford. Frideswide's prayers brought forth a healing spring, whose waters cured his blindness, and the spring was walled into a shallow well which became a focus for pilgrimage, the mediaeval sense of the word ‘

treacle Treacle () is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar.Oxford Dictionary The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle, similar to molasses. Black treacle has ...

’ meaning ‘healing unguent’. The well became a pilgrimage site in mediaeval times.At least one pilgrimage still takes place annually: in 2018 the pilgrimage is on Thursday 19 July (the Eve of the Feast of St Margaret) (https://www.osneybenefice.org.uk/events/updated-pilgrimage-holy-well-and-church-st-margaret-antioch).
"Binsey beats off new homes bid", ''Oxford Times'', (3 October 2001)
/ref> The reason for the apparent separation of church and village is revealed best from the air;

cropmarks Cropmarks or crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform. Such marks, along with parch marks, soil marks an ...

show the floor-plans of houses that lay along the straight road that runs between them, suggesting a much larger village during the mediaeval period, or possibly one that has ‘migrated’ south. The village and its associated farmland belonged to

St Frideswide's Priory St Frideswide's Priory was established as a priory of Augustinian canons regular, in 1122. The priory was established by Gwymund, chaplain to Henry I of England. Among its most illustrious priors were the writers Robert of Cricklade and Phi ...

during the 14th and 15th centuries, until the priory's

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

and (apparently) incorporation into Christ Church, a college of

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, which now owns all of the buildings in Binsey, save one. Plans in 2001 by Christ Church to double the size of the village by demolishing a barn and constructing seven new residences were met with worldwide protests, leading to withdrawal of the proposal. Binsey features a total of nine listed buildings. As well as St Margaret's Church and St Margaret's Well, Binsey has seven other listed buildings: * Medley Manor Farmhouse * Manor Farm Cottage * Manor Farm House * The Limes (known locally as ‘Great Leys’) * Barn at Manor Farm * The Thatched Cottage * Perch Inn An avenue of poplars in Binsey was made famous by

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

in his poem ‘

Binsey Poplars "Binsey Poplars" is a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889), written in 1879. The poem was inspired by the felling of a row of poplar trees near the village of Binsey, northwest of Oxford, England, and overlooking Port Meadow on the b ...

’, written when he found the riverside trees felled. The replacements for these trees, which stretch from Binsey to Godstow, lasted until 2004, when the present replantings began.Hatts, 2005, page not cited

Gallery

Image:Binsey village.jpg, Road through Binsey village. Image:BoyceBinsey1862.jpg, ''

At Binsey, near Oxford ''At Binsey, near Oxford'' is a watercolour by the British Victorian artist George Price Boyce, who was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite art movement. This 1862 watercolour is a view in the village of Binsey close to the city of Oxford in Ox ...

'' (1862), by

George Price Boyce George Price Boyce (24 September 1826 – 9 February 1897) was a British watercolour painter of landscapes and vernacular architecture in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He was a patron and friend of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Life Boyce was born in ...

. Image:St_Margarets_well_Binsey.jpg, St Margaret's Well, Binsey File:"The Perch" at Binsey - geograph.org.uk - 1555159.jpg, "The Perch" at Binsey

References

Sources

* *

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Oxfordshire Areas of Oxford Populated places on the River Thames