Banbury
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Banbury takes
its name from a Saxon noble man called Banna who lived there in the 500's
but there are settlements in the area that date back to Roman times like
the villa at Wykham Park from the period around 250AD.
The town
was made famous 'Ride a Cock Horse' nursery rhyme:
Ride
a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a Fyne lady ride on a white horse.
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.
There is
much dispute over who the Fyne lady was and although it could have been
Lady Godiva or Elizabeth I it is generally accepted that it was a member
of the Fiennes family that still live in the area to this day.
The original
cross was destroyed in the 1600s by puritans but a replacement was erected
in 1859 to commemorate the marriage of Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa to
Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.
Banbury is
regarded by many as the cross roads of England and has benefited greatly
from its central location. The Oxford Canal was opened in 1790 connecting
Banbury to the midlands and although the canal is no longer industrially
important it is now a very popular recreational resource. The historic
Tooley's Boat Yard in the town still works on narrow boats on the canal.
Banbury's
new trunk connection to the rest of the nation is the M40 and this road
has meant that Banbury is a prime location for big industry like Alcan
Booth Industries (aluminium products), and Kraft Jacobs Suchard (coffee
and custard), which are both big employers on the area.
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