With our visit to Alderbury and its long gone river crossings still on our minds. The other day we thought that we would visit Britford the village on the other side of the river. Our walk didn’t quite go according to plan, but the pretty little village more than made up for that with its history and interest.
If I were to ask you to name some current and former Royal Residences of England you would probably know many. Buckingham Palace and Sandringham are the easy ones and perhaps for former locations you would answer Henry VIII’s Hampton Court or The Regent’s elaborate Brighton Pavilion. Going back further, you might come up with the now ruined Berkhamsted Castle or Wiltshire’s very own Clarendon Palace. But would you mention Britford? Britford the tiny, sleepy hamlet south of Salisbury nestled on water meadows? Well, it was indeed the location of a Royal Residence, and, it is believed, was the place where an important decision was made that might have helped change the history of England. For Britford was the location that Edward the Confessor used as a country residence, and where he agreed to the banishment of Tostig Godwinson the brother of King Harold.
If you picture the times of the last year of The Confessor’s reign. England was in turmoil, and with no heir to the throne Edward needed to determine who would be his successor, and, as we know, there were several possibilities. It is true that at one point he might have favoured William Duke of Normandy but Harold Godwinson was to be his next in line. Harold was aware that even though he would likely be chosen as the next king, sooner or later he would have to fight William and he would need all of England to be on his side. Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, was an issue to this requirement, he was not a popular ruler and this lead to a revolt. To gain Northumbrian support in any forthcoming battles Harold knew something needed to be done about his brother. So before the old king died, he had held a court at Britford, which led to the exile of Tostig. In achieving this, Harold might have gained the support of Northumbria, but he also made a powerful enemy in his brother, who eventually raised an army against him to fight him at Fulford and again at Stamford Bridge. Although Tostig died in battle, we know that the battles near York severely reduced Harold’s army and so led to the defeat at Hastings. So establishing Britford’s place in English history.
There is nothing left of Edward’s residence in the village although the rather impressive moat around the appropriately named Moat House could date from those days. However, the nearby church of St Peter was built in Saxon times and is a lovely building with some impressive carved stone work and arches. Possibly The Confessor himself worshiped here.
There are many other items of interest in the church one being the possible site of the final resting place of Henry de Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham, who might have played a role in the death of the princes in The Tower, was beheaded in Blue Boar Row in Salisbury. His execution was ordered by Richard III of whom he was once a loyal subject, an ignominious end to a callous man. If I believe Ancestry™, then I have kinship with the de Staffords, in this case a dubious honour I think. Buckingham’s tomb, if it is indeed his tomb, is interesting, and on the day we visited a simple vase of sunflowers and the Ukrainian flag had been placed on it. No doubt just a convenient location of these items, but I was reminded that the ruthless nature of man’s desire for power and all that he is prepared to do to achieve his aims is sadly just the same today as it was in the past.
Other interesting aspects of the church include the porticuses that are attached to the nave and there is a squint that can be found in the south transept. The porticuses are Saxon and might once have been shrines or burial places of the Saxon Kings, the carved stone slabs of the north porticus are thought to be unique. The arch of the southern porticus is made from reclaimed Roman brick all adding historical interest to the church.
The squint probably dates to 1215 and is thought that this was used by an anchoress to view services from the confined location of what was the south porticus. It is thought that the anchoress, known as Joan, would have lived her life walled up in the small cell in the church, spending her day in religious contemplation. She did receive an income from the King of 1d a day and other gifts during her lifetime. I admit that being brought up on the romantic stories of King Arthur and the suchlike, at one time, I rather fancied a life of a recluse similar to that of a hermit living in the woods amongst the flora and fauna with only the spiritual to think about, but of course the reality of the life of a hermit would have been so much different, even so perhaps it was an improvement on being walled up in a cell as an anchoress.
On the outside of the building, you can see the Saxon stonework of the southern entrance confirming its antiquity. To the north is the Radnor Vault with its impressive Pleydell Bouverie Coat of Arms. Here I will make special mention of Helen Pleydell-Bouverie, the Countess of Radnor believed to be the first British woman to regularly and publicly conduct an orchestra. Thereby paving the way for other women to be able to do this.
Beyond the church, a walk along the water meadows allows you views of the Cathedral and the church as well as Alderbury. For our visit we walked along the footpaths towards the Avon but for one reason or another we never reached it. The path that takes you over a number of channels towards Britford Trout Farm was interesting, and we noticed a number of different egrets and ducks, but it was clear that, with the loss of the river crossing, few people ventured this way. So having wandered along a little way in what we imagined might have been the footsteps of many, including Charles Dickens, who would take the ferry to Alderbury we returned to the village for a final stroll around before heading back. In doing so, we took in views of the village green and the Navigation. The Navigation was an early attempt in the 1600s to convert the River Avon into a navigable channel between Salisbury and Christchurch. Both this and the latter-day Salisbury-Southampton canal were short lived. Perhaps just as well as it might have changed this village forever with its lovely cottages and quirkiness, and not forgetting its place in history.
This brings me to my last thought. On the way to Britford, we noticed a black poplar tree and a plaque stating that the area had been rescued from being buried under a 20ft embankment of chalk. This would have formed the Salisbury bypass. The sentiment of the plaque was that the valley was saved for all to enjoy. Therefore, I really wish that the footpaths and some form of river crossing were maintained or reinstated so that many more could have good access to enjoy this location.
This concludes my write up about the village of Britford. Its attractiveness and history make it well worth a visit. I would not recommend parking in the village, but it can be reached fairly easily from the Churchill Gardens car park in Salisbury (a fairly flat walk of approximately 1.5 miles).
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