Fairford
| Fairford | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 The River Coln in Fairford | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP149010 |
| Location: | 51°42’29"N, 1°47’6"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,219 (2001) |
| Post town: | Fairford |
| Postcode: | GL7 |
| Dialling code: | 01285 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cotswold |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
The Cotswolds |
| Website: | Fairford Town Council |
Fairford is a small town in Gloucestershire, in the Cotswolds on the River Coln, about 6 miles east of Cirencester, 4 miles west of Lechlade and 9 miles north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park.
Events
Every year RAF Fairford hosts the world's largest military air show – the Royal International Air Tattoo. The event brings a boost to economy of the town and surrounding areas.
In March 2003 "Flowers to Fairford" was held as a protest against the use of USAF Fairford as the base for the 14 B-52 bombers aircraft which were used to bomb Iraq. Several thousand people attended and there was a large police presence, but the event passed off peacefully and without incident.[1]
The Ernest Cook Trust has its headquarters in Fairford Park, which also hosts the annual Fairford Steam Rally and Show. This is attended by many hundreds of enthusiasts .
In July 2007 Fairford suffered unseasonably high rainfall which led to major flooding of 64 homes on Milton Street and London Street as well as in some other surrounding areas. This meant that many of the annual events had to be cancelled.
Churches
The parish church of St Mary is renowned for its complete set of mediæval stained glass, stone carvings and misericords. Built in the early 1490s, the church[2] is an example of late Perpendicular Gothic architecture that is characterised by slim stone window mullions and light but strong buttresses. The style enabled larger windows than previously, allowing much more light into the building. Grade 1 listed by English Heritage, St. Mary's is of national historical and architectural importance because it houses the most complete set of mediæval stained glass windows in the country, attributed to Barnard Flower, and its structure and details remains unaltered since originally built.[3]
The churchyard includes a stone memorial to Tiddles, the church cat who fell off the church roof. There is also a stone grotesque to commemorate a young boy who climbed up the walls of the church and jumped, falling to his death.
- Church of England:
- St Mary's (above)
- Methodist / Congregational: Fairford United Church, begun in 1981 when a group of local Methodists approached the local Congregational Church to use the Chapel for their own services as there was no Methodist Church in Fairford and united into one congregation in 1986
- Roman Catholic: St Thomas of Canterbury, built following the closure of the recusant chapel at Hatherop Castle in 1844.
-
Parish church of St Mary (consecrated 1497) -
St Mary's: the tomb of John Tame (d. 1500) who rebuilt the church and of his wife Alice -
Monumental brass for Edward I Tame (d. 1534), his wives Agnes Greville and Elizabeth Tyringham, and his son Edmund II Tame -
Tomb with effigies of Katherine Denys (d. 1584) and her third husband Roger Lygon
Literature
'The Secret Diary of Sarah Thomas, 1860 - 1865', is a published journal by a Victorian diarist living in Fairford. It features many local landmarks.
Sport & Leisure
- Football: Fairford Town FC, who play and train at Cinder Lane.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Fairford) |
|
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about St Mary's church, Fairford) |
- Official Town Council Website
- Fairford Community Website
- St. Mary's Church in Fairford - Sacred Destinations
- Fairford United Church
- St Thomas' Catholic Church website Includes history, pictures and details of services.
- Fairford Steam Rally
- BBC archive film of Fairford from 1986
- Ripples Community Magazine
- Local Online website for the Lechlade and Fairford Community
References
- ↑ "Flowers to Fairford - 22 March 2003" at fairford.org
- ↑ Fairford History Society
- ↑ "Church of St Mary, Fairford". English Heritage. http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1089998. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
Books
- Verey, David (1970). The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 243–250. ISBN 0-14-071040-X.