Great Coxwell tithe barn, Oxfordshire

The tithe barn at Great Coxwell in Oxfordshire was built by the Cistercian monks of Beaulieu Abbey in about 1292. Dendrochronology has dated some of the timbers of the structure to 1253 and ensuing years, as well as to the winter of 1291-2. The walls are built of Cotswold stone and the roof is tiled with Stonesfield slate.

It measures 152 feet (46m) long and 48 feet (15m) high. It has a small east porch (shown above) and a larger west porch. The south elevation (above) received most attention from the builders with the buttresses, ventilation holes and great doorway being completely symmetrical. William Morris said it was "as noble as any cathedral". The barn is a Grade 1 Listed structure and since 1956 it has been in the ownership of the National Trust.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

County Hall, Abingdon

The prototype of the design of County Hall, Abingdon is the medieval market house (see examples here, here and here). However, in Abingdon it is on a much grander scale in a later architectural style. Its name and size derives from the time when the town vied with Reading to be the county town of Berkshire. The building was constructed in 1678 - 1682, possibly by Sir Christopher Wren. Its Baroque features include the giant Corinthian pilasters and archetypal windows. Today the town of Abingdon is in Oxfordshire and the building houses a museum.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

River Thames at Abingdon, Oxfordshire

The River Thames is navigable for 191 of its 215 miles that stretch from its source to the sea i.e. from Lechlade in Gloucestershire to the Thames Estuary, though small boats can venture, with care, a further 11 miles upstream, as far as Cricklade. A recent visit to Abingdon found the Thames (or Isis as it is sometimes known in this part of the world) busy with boats - inland waterway narrow boats as well as cruisers. I took a few photographs by the river and as I did so I reflected once more on the contribution that a church spire can make to a flat landscape: in this instance the medieval church of St Helen.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2