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Sutton Courtenay is situated three miles south-east of Abingdon. Most of the
finer buildings lie in the area around All Saints church and the well preserved
village green. A pleasant walk is along the footpath from the church to Culham
village, by the weirs and over the river Thames beyond. This causeway is reputed
to have been constructed in about AD 1000.
It is possible to leave all traffic behind by taking the lane behind the church
and walking the entire length of the village as far as the boundary with Didcot
power station by footpaths and bridleways.
The Liberal Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, was the longest serving Prime
Minister in the 20th century, until his record was taken by Mrs Margaret
Thatcher. He made his home in Sutton Courtenay at The Wharf and now lies buried
with his wife, Margot, and his son Anthony, in the local churchyard. Anthony,
often known by his nickname Puffin, was a well known film director. Asquiths
daughter, Lady Violet Bonham Carter, was a frequent visitor to the village.
Also buried in the churchyard is George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and
1984. His tombstone, in his real name of Eric Arthur Blair, bears a simple
inscription.
The manor house was formerly known as Brunces Court when it was the home of the
Brunce family, one of whom became Bishop of Norwich. It is a five-gabled,
two-winged house which has had many additions over the centuries but originated
as the great medieval hall of the Courtenay family, who gave their name to the
village.
The Abbey, actually the rectory house, dates from c1300. The 15th century Great
Hall has an oak roof on arched supports.
Norman Hall is one of the oldest buildings in the village. It was built c. 190,
in the reign of Richard I, Coeur de Lion. All Saints church also dates from
Norman times. The brick-built south porch has a room above reached by a narrow
stairway from inside the church. The clock on the church tower is unusual in
that it is one-handed and dates from about 1700.
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