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The Islip Edward the Confessor Millenium Project
Location: Oxfordshire
In AD 1005 Edward the Confessor was born in Islip. A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund contributed to the celebration of the millennium of his birth with a variety of events.
Two exhibitions were mounted and were well attended. The first displayed in St Nicholas' Church a photographic replica of the Bayeux tapestry, in which are depicted Edward and the abbey he founded at Westminster. The other, in the former tithe barn attached to the Old Rectory, illustrated 1000 years of Islip history under the headings of the church and middle ages, farming and fishing, the Civil War, inns and travellers in the 18th century, shops, the coming of the railway, education, notable residents, and the 20th century.
Panels from the latter exhibition are being preserved in a Village Archive to be established in the Village Hall, and will be the basis of a book in preparation to be distributed free to the local community. Hundreds of old photographs have been collected and put in digital form for the archive.
Channel 4's Time Team visited Islip but failed to find any trace of the medieval Confessor's Chapel which was still standing in the 18th century to the N of the church; they did, however, uncover part of the 14th-century moated manor house in the NE corner of the village. In consultation with the County Archaeologist a modest follow-up excavation was carried out on the latter site over three weekends by residents of the village, including children, and members of the Otmoor Archaeological & Historical Society, supervised by a professional archaeologist. Like the Time Team investigation, this provided confirmation of the 14th-century date of Abbot Curtlington's manor house, and introduced a number of amateurs to practical archaeology.
With professional support an original village pump used before mains water came to Islip has been restored to working order, supplementing work done by Dr South's Primary School investigating local wells.
A number of recordings have been made of the reminiscences of senior villagers to form an oral history archive.
Work is in progress on the design of a heritage board to be erected in the centre of the village.
Group Name |
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Millennium of the Birth of Edward the Confessor Steering Group |
| Project Postcode |
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OX5 2SD |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £16526
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