Church to Church walk Long Compton to Shipton on Stour - Booking required

The village of Long Compton has always been associated with witchcraft and legend has it that it was the home to numerous witches. The tales stemmed from superstitions surrounding the nearby Rollright Stones, an ancient stone circle situated one mile away from the village. To this day the southern end of Long Compton is known as the ‘witch end’ of the village, because of the number of them that was rumoured to live there.

Barton on the Heath is one of Warwickshire’s most sleepy and idyllic villages and is at a point where four counties meet. The mellow stone houses and cottages and the views across the Vale of Moreton make it a very pleasing place indeed. Barton on the Heath has a rich history and connections with Robert Dover, who started the Cotswold Games. He is buried there as is the mother of William Wilberforce.

The village is dominated by the Parish Church of St. Lawrence and by the imposing Barton House.

If the weather is nice we will have a coffee stop en route, else we will have a late first lunch stop at the church. The parish Church of St. Lawrence was built by the Norman masons in the early 12th century and the saddleback tower was added a century later. In the 14th century the south chapel was built in the Gothic style with the splendid east window. Finally in 1851 the church was restored by William Butterfield, the leading architect of the Oxford Movement.

Barton House is an Elizabethan Manor House, remodelled by Inigo Jones in 1636 and has a magnificent 6 ½ acre Garden, which is open to the public in the summer. As well as all the mature trees there is also a Japanese Garden, a Rose Garden, a Secret Garden, a Victorian Kitchen Garden, an Exotic Garden and a Vineyard. Outside the entrance gates to Barton House there is a small village green on which stands an elaborate domed memorial fountain built in 1874. This structure, named The Bird Memorial, is a Grade 2 Listed Building and was built as a well house and monument to R W M Bird who died at the age of 29. The Bird Family were very prominent silk merchants from Coventry who owned and lived at Barton House from 1741.

The Old Parochial Church School building can be seen behind the village green on the right, and now acts as the Village Hall.

Great Wolford and its close neighbour of Little Wolford are collectively known locally as The Wolfords and are set in picturesque rolling countryside. Both villages are a neat and compact collection of houses built from either mellow Cotswold stone or a combination of stone and handmade brick (sourced from the valley that separates the two villages).

Historically the villages were owned by different estates – Lord Redesdale of Batsford Park owned Great Wolford until it was sold in 1924, whereas the Weston Estate owned Little Wolford. Fortunately the rural charm of the village with the attractive estate style cottages and houses has been well preserved since the sale.

There has been a church in Great Wolford since Saxon time. The present parish Church of St. Michael and All Angels is an early Victorian Grade 2 Listed Church with panoramic churchyard views across the valley towards neighbouring Little Wolford and beyond. The churchyard is noted for its abundant wildlife. Inside the church, the unusual east window with four lights of painted rather than stained glass showing the four Evangelists was made by a company in Berlin. The church is also blessed with excellent acoustic and sight lines, making it an ideal venue for musical performances. The organ is a fine instrument built in 1876 by Charles Martin of Oxford.

Other interesting properties in Great Wolford are the bell-coted Old School House, which is opposite the church and The Teachers House further along The Green, both of which are now private dwellings.

Burmington is a small village of just over 100 people and although it is not a famous or important place it was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Before about 1200 there seems to have been no church at Burmington, only ‘a preaching cross’, the remains of which can still be seen in the churchyard, a three-tiered base and a small fragment of the stem of an ancient cross. To go to church the villagers had to walk 3 miles to Great Wolford. However, at the end of the 12th century the ‘Lord of Burmington’ built a ‘chapel of ease’ for the inhabitants, at the same time as he built himself the Manor House next to it. The Manor House which is a Grade 2 Listed Building can be seen overlooking the churchyard. By 1692, the church had fallen into grave disrepair, and 5 of the 6 bells had to be sold to pay for it to be rebuilt on a smaller scale. However in 1849, it was redesigned and extended to the west with a gallery and a small tower housing the one remaining bell. Next to the church there is a tranquil spot in the Memorial Ground, recently planted with wild flowers and offering a place to sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Other notable buildings in Burmington are the timber-framed granary on straddles at Burmington Farm and the Old School building, which is now the Village Hall.

Barcheston and Willington are both set on the east bank of the River Stour. The rivers flow was once sufficient to power a water mill, situated at Barcheston and 15th century documents also indicate a windmill, possibly at Willington. The parish Church of St. Martins has more of a Cotswold appearance than one is used to in Warwickshire. It is a lovely Grade 2 Listed Church and is linked with the first tapestry producing enterprise in England.

Magnificent woollen tapestries were produced in Barcheston by the famous Sheldon Tapestries which made the hamlet central to the history of English tapestry making. They were profusely decorated with flowers and mythological motifs and are often highlighted in silk. Dating from the end of the 12th century, St. Martin’s Church (may be closed) has been extended over the centuries and its renowned leaning north-west tower known as ‘the Pisa of Warwickshire’ originally from the 13th century was rebuilt in the 15th century and has become a local landmark. The Font, with its carved heads, purporting to be King Edward 1 and his queen Eleanor dates from the early 14th century. The Willington Aisle was built in the 16th century to house a magnificent alabaster table tomb to William and Ann Willington. The lych-gate in the churchyard was erected in 1911 in memory of King Edward V11.

Shipston on Stour is a charming little market town with a very compact centre and set on the bank of the River Stour. In Old English, Shipston on Stour was called Sheep Wash Town – in medieval times the drovers herded their sheep to the town to be washed in the River Stour before going on to market. Shipston owes its existence as a town to its location, near to a number of long distance routes. Nearby is the Fosse Way, an old Roman road that links Exeter to Lincoln. The town was also on the old stagecoach route that ran from Oxford to Birmingham, evidenced by the number of former coaching inns and hotels that are still in existence in the town today.

The Shipston on Stour street plan, with its marketplace, courtyards and alleyways, dates back to medieval times. The town is a living piece of history with a pretty mix of houses and shops in both local red brick and grey Cotswold stone. Shipston has now more than 50 small independent shops and is a focal point for the surrounding rural area.

In the Post Office on the High Street is the Heritage Centre which traces the history of Shipston on Stour through the sheep and wool industry. There is also a small museum in the town.

The parish Church of St. Edmunds is in the centre of the town and plays a vital role in the life of the community.The war memorial is outside of the church.

On the Church2Church walk to St. Peter’s at Stretton on Fosse, you will pass a beautiful pair of late 19th century cemetery chapels which are Grade 2 Listed. They are at the Shipston Cemetery on the A3400.