Faringdon Town

Faringdon was is a Market Town in West Oxfordshire, up to the 1974 it was in North Berkshire. I visited to go and see All Saints Church which is just off the market place. On my way back I took a few photos of the town.

The church I visited from the footpath. It will feature in the Church Explorer in a month or so

 From the churchyard you look over to the market place

 This is Church Street looking towards the Market place

 I wondered what the pillar was but after some research I found it it is the Portwell Pump. Given to the town by Sir Henry Unton, Lord of the Manor in the 16th Century, it was the town’s only piped water supply and fed an animal trough. A heavy lead cup, securely chained, was for the use of passers-by. Not sure they would get away with that now

Above the Old Town Hall (Market Hall)  Built in the 17C, it was a hive of activity on market days when farmers’ wives would sell their surplus eggs, butter and cheeses under the shelter of the meeting room above.

The road on the left is Marlborough Street and on the right is Gloucester Street

The last photo I took as I went back to the carpark was of the Cork Exchange opened in 1863. The hall itself was built as a Corn Exchange where local farmers congregated to sell their surplus grain to millers and dealers away from the noise of the animals in the main market place. Found it a fascinating two which I would not mind returning to sometime.

Taking Part in Our World Tuesday