Burton Dassett

For our anniversary, my husband took me to Burton Dassett. It is a country park not far from junction 12 on the M40. It is 100 acres of land on what used to be an ironstone quarry. Apart from a "beacon" and some toilets, there is nothing else there - it is just a place to wander. And we did have a good wander round. It is a hill in the middle of a fairly flat area so there are very good views all around. Several hundred years ago, there was a windmill which blew down and was replaced by another which also blew down a couple of hundred years later. The "beacon" looks like the stone base of the last windmill which is now filled in with concrete and is a reminder that a beacon was lit there to warn people of approaching armies at the Battle of Edgehill (a couple of miles away) in 1642.

There is also an old church just outside the park. The original was built in 1086 but only lasted a couple of hundred years and was replaced by a bigger building. The bells for this were cast in 1286. The latest modern addition was added in 17 something...  The floor space in the church is about the same as our church so this one must have served quite a substantial community. The floor slopes upward from the bell tower to the high altar. Never been in a church where the floor sloped like that. There were also the remains of medieval paintings on the walls and all the pillars on one side of the church had stone carvings of animals and head and plants.

It was a lovely day out and we had a lovely picnic. I enjoyed it far more than going out for a meal in a restaurant and my husband knows this : )