Lower Oddington
| Lower Oddington | |
| Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|
 Lower Oddington | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP231259 |
| Location: | 51°55’59"N, 1°39’19"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | GL56 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cotswold |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
The Cotswolds |
Lower Oddington is a small and pretty village in the very east of Gloucestershire, sitting beside Upper Oddington, with which it shares its history, and a parish council. The two villages together had population of 417 at the 2011 Census.
The two villages are located to the south of the A436 road two miles east of Stow-on-the-Wold. Little Oddington is set along a loop of road just above the River Evenlode, across which is Adlestrop. A short way downstream the river begins to mark the border of Oxfordshire.
History
In 1780 the Oddington estate, at one time the seat of the Chamberlayne family, was left to Elizabeth Ann Wilson by Crayle Crayle. Elizabeth, who was married to Charles Loraine Smith in 1784, sold this inheritance to Sir John Reade who extended the land by purchasing other lots.[1] Oddington House, built in the 17th-century, was remodelled by Lady Reade c.1810 to form a large three storey L-shaped house, though the East Wing was demolished in a later restoration. It is a grade II* listed building.[2]
St Nicholas Church
The parish church, St Nicholas, stands to the south of Lower Oddington, along Church Lane. It was originally a cell of St Peter’s Benedictine abbey in Gloucester. It was ceded in 1157 to the Diocese of York and exchanged with the Crown in 1547.
The church is built of dressed limestone and has a stone slate roof. Part of the nave is twelfth century and part thirteenth century. The chancel is fifteenth century and the tower at the east end is thirteenth century. The Norman south aisle probably represents the original nave. The church was all but abandoned among its fields in 1852, and has been little altered since. It has mediæval wall paintings of the Doom on the north wall of the nave, dating to the early 15th century. They were whitewashed over in the Reformation and conserved by Eve Baker from 1969. Scenes depicted include the Acts of Mercy and the Seven Deadly Sins.
The church is a Grade I listed building.[3]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Lower Oddington) |
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Gloucester - Volume 6 pp 87-98: Parishes: Oddington (Victoria County History)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1341130: Oddington House
- ↑ National Heritage List 1155273: Church of St Nicholas
