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Sunrise illuminates a farm above Long Compton
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One morning I went for a walk and met two locals who were born in the village. Herrick and Derek live at the other end of the village. We discussed the changes that are taking place and how the village has changed during the course of their lives. Derek told me that he was born in a "hillbilly" house near our cottage which had very basic amenities. He told stories of a tramp who regularly visited the village and used the public water supply to take a bath "whatever the weather". I persuaded them to pose for a picture before they went their separate ways. |
| The focal point of Long Compton is its Church, which is large for so small a village. Apart from its age, it has a number of features worth describing. Here are views of the Church from the road to Whichford, taken as the sun's first rays angle down on the tower. |  |
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The Church has a unique Lych Gate complete with thatch roof. It is much photographed and an excellent shot (in better light and using HDR technique, by the way) can be seen here. This Flickr thread also has some interesting history about the Lych Gate. |
| The Parish Council maintains a small courtyard next to the Lych Gate that provides a sheltered spot to sit and wait for the hourly bus service between Oxford and Stratford. If you visited the thread linked above then this is the garden where the row of cottages used to be. |  |
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Churches are often neglected these days and some in the Cotswolds are virtually abandoned. We were pleased, therefore to witness a local wedding take place. Judith works in the village store and her wedding day was a fine summer's afternoon. Here are some pictures: |
| The official photographer greets bride and escort. At this point I backed off (as I alweays do at a wedding when the official photographer is working - it's most unfair on him/her and I like to enjoy weddings! |  |
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After the wedding the guests enjoy the sunshine. I have to admit this is one my my all time favorite pictures! I was standing on the roadside about three feet below the level of the churchyard so the unusual angle was easy to get. The clouds also behaved perfectly, framing the church tower. I particularly like the group on the right with the little girl free let off steam after the service! |
| The happy couple with their parents. |  |
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In contrast to the antiquity of the Church, the village has recently erected a "Millenium Chronolog" which celebrates 2000 years of progress. It's located near the school on Main Street.
Next we visit the nearby Rollright Stones, a megalithic site that legend has linked inextricably with Long Compton! |
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