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About a mile and a half due east of Sutton Courtenay, on the south bank of the
river Thames is the village of Appleford. As you approach the village the eye is
taken upwards to the Wittenham Clumps with its crown of trees and below it the
spire of the church. If you look to the right, the bulk of Didcot power station
commands the view across the fields.
As its name suggests there was once a ford in the village, which made it a good
place for a settlement since earliest times. The history of Apple-ford dates
back to the Saxons and the church of St Peter and St Paul originates from then.
Nothing is left of the original building, but part of the chancel contains
remains from the 12th and 13th centuries and the font is Norman. It has always
been a chapelry, with no vicar of its own, but for 500 years has been part of
the living of Sutton Courtenay. At the expense of Walter Justice, the church was
heavily restored in 1885—86 when the square tower and spire were added.
The village is bounded on its western side by the railway. The halt was closed
in 1849 but rebuilt in 1934 and is still in use, linking Appleford to Didcot and
Oxford.
Close by the railway line, on its western side, is Bridge Farm, the former home
of Mr Arthur Napper. In 1968 a collection of pewter plates and domestic ironware
was discovered in Mr Napper’s fields. Dating from Roman times, this is known as
the Appleford Hoard and is housed at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Other
evidence has shown that a Romano-British settlement existed here and two large
collections of Roman coins were also ploughed up.
At the centre of the village is the ‘Nap’ or green. On its north side is Orchard
House. This was once the home of Edmund Bradstock, Apple-ford’s principal
benefactor. In his will dated 1607, money and land was left to found a village
school as well as charities for the aged of Sutton Courtenay and Appleford.
These are still administered by the Bradstock’s Trust. Sadly the school closed
in 1961. It is remembered by the name ‘School Lane’ and modern houses stand in
its place.
East of the village and close to the church is Manor Farm. Part of its buildings
are very old and it was probably the grange of Abingdon Abbey. Interestingly,
the field immediately south of the farm is exceptionally large and has never
been divided by hedges. East of the churchyard is the ancient footpath to Long
Wittenham.
The path to the church porch is lined with beautifully shaped yews and the
churchyard is very well kept. In it can be found the tombs of the Justice family
(as well as six memorial tablets within the church). A prominent Appleford
family, the Justices is mentioned in the parish registers from 1548. Other
prominent families included the Steeles, Whicheloes, Carters, Reynolds and
later, the Pullens.
‘While the Pullens were at Manor Farm, six or seven skeletons were found, buried
in shallow graves, by farm workers. These were thought to have been soldiers who
fought in a local skirmish during the Civil War.
The most interesting character to have lived in Appleford appears to have been
John ‘Jockey’ Faulkener. He is interred in Appleford churchyard in an unmarked
grave. John Faulkener died in 1933 at the age of 104. He rode his first race at
eight years old and his last, in 1903, at 70! Aged 18 years he won the City Bowl
at Salisbury and 74 years later watched his grandson win the same race.
John Faulkener had two wives and 32 children, the eldest of whom was the same
age as his second wife. His name was Jimmy; he also in turn became Britain’s
oldest jockey, beating his father by a short head, marrying three times and
having 33 children.
During the last 20 years the village has seen many changes. Not only has the
village school disappeared, but many of the old cottages as well. The old
thatched cottages in Main Road (once called Littleworth), the terrace of
cottages built in Napoleonic times and the Black Horse —Appleford’s other public
house, have all been replaced with modern houses as have the two fields, one
called Chambrai Minor and the other in Church Street.
The pre-war cricket pavilion has been skillfully converted to a village hall,
which stands in the recreation field, and provides a meeting place for village
activities. Sadly, the village stores and post office closed in 1988. Very few
of the villagers work in the vicinity, but the village spirit remains.
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