Sacred Landscapes
of The Windrush
Oxfordshire - England
of The Windrush
Oxfordshire -
The River Windrush
Connecting Communities Across Time
Located throughout Oxfordshire’s countryside are many old buildings – ancient churches, timber framed barns, thatched cottages and ancient stone walls.
From time to time grassy mounds and ditches also appear but with no real clue as to their true age. Yet these remains are just a few of those waiting to be rediscovered – remains left by far more distant ancestors and now woven into our fields and hedgerows.
Occasionally archaeologists unlock new aspects of this landscape and bring us glimpses of how our ancestors lived and died, and the religious beliefs they once held. In a quiet corner of the Oxfordshire countryside focused around Northmoor parish, a local landscape archaeologist, Robin Brunner-Ellis, has been developing The Lower Windrush Survey – an archaeology and history project designed to do just that.
This website is a first prototype of what Robin hopes will become a full blown interactive forum for all of the community. A place where new finds and theories can be made easily accessible to everyone .
Phase I of the Survey – The Northmoor Project – this first phase has already encouraged a growing band of local enthusiasts to get involved and, subject to funding, The Northmoor Project will soon have it’s very own website which will be accessed by using the link below:
[URL: Northmoor Project (to be completed) ]
This first phase has identified a trail of inconspicuous clues, which when pieced together, are forming a remarkable picture of human activity over the last 5,000 years.
Over summer 2006 the pilot stage of Phase II work has been undertaken to develop greater community involvement. This is now launched here as The Sacred Landscapes of the Windrush – a programme of discovery to get local children and adults to get involved in uncovering and celebrating the heritage of their parishes.
The following additional pages will be added soon :
Connecting Earth, Sky and Water [URL: page on prehistoric locale (final text due tonight) ]
Our Christian heritage [URL: xx (pages still to be written)]
Beneath Our Feet [URL: Stanton Harcourt CE Primary School excavation project (still to be written) ]