The area around Shutford has been settled since ancient times
though the village itself is probably of Saxon origin. For
centuries it was a mainly agricultural community though associated
trades of brewing, malting, spinning, weaving, hat and stocking
making are known to have existed too. In 1701 many of the buildings
were destroyed by fire but by 1774 it had become one of the largest
villages in the area with 71 houses. Shutford became known around
the world as a centre for the weaving of plush, the top grade of
which is a luxurious silk fabric. Beginning as a cottage industry
in the 17th century, manufacture continued here until 1947 mostly,
and latterly exclusively, under the management of the Wrench
family. Their handwoven livery plush was exported to many of the
royal courts of Europe as well as to Africa and the Far East and
won a number of awards at international exhibitions. By the 1960s,
with the demise of its traditional occupations, the village was in
decline with many properties derelict, no school, no permanent
vicar and for a while no pub (!). Attempts to draw attention to its
plight by entering the best kept village competition in 1969 and
advertising the village for sale in an American newspaper in 1970
gradually bore fruit. Abandoned houses were rebuilt or renovated
and new ones erected bringing new people and with them new life to
the village.
The Shutford Circular Walk covers footpaths and bridleways to
the south and west of the village, including a section of ancient
road past Madmarston Hill. It offers fine views over the
surrounding countryside and neighbouring villages. The route is
signed and described in a clockwise direction and, though it can be
walked either way, parking is best found near the George and Dragon
pub (N52º 03.528 W001º 26.325), just north of the start of the
clockwise option. Decent footwear is advisable as ground conditions
can be wet and muddy, especially in winter. The 4.6-mile walk has
been devised with the co-operation of local farmers and landowners
and much of it passes over cultivated and grazing land. Please
follow the route as marked and observe the Country Code along the
way. There are a couple of stiles that are not entirely
dog-negotiable but there are undoubtedly work-arounds and the rest
of the route is dog-friendly. A copy of a leaflet produced by the
Cherwell District Council describing the circular walk, as well as
a village trail, can be found at the following link:
Shutford Circular Walk
& Village Trail.
There are nine caches in locations with a tree theme at
intervals along the SCW. The Bonus cache can be located by
compiling the numbers that are written on the front of the
logbooks, with numbers (1-9) corresponding to the letters in the
title of each cache -- so, if you miss one number in the series,
you can work it out from the others. Substitute the numbers for the
letters in the formula below:
N52º
03.(A+B-C)(E+F-J)(H+J-C) W001º
26.(A+D-E)(C+D-B)(G+H-E)
The Bonus cache is a plastic box with room for travel bug(s) or
other items. Please be careful not to disturb the hiding place when
retrieving the cache box and replace it with equal care. Visitors
to the area may wish to combine this walk with a search for Messe's
Alpha Quest-K.
** FTF goes to JimJinks, though he took a short cut ** **
Honourary FTF to Wrighty for doing it the Wright way **