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Deddington is an old village sitting on top of a ridge overlooking the Cherwell
valley between Oxford and Banbury. Here the wind comes straight from Siberia,
say the old residents. Part of the church and some of the houses date back to
the 13th century.
In its time the village was an important stage between its neighbouring towns
and had a flourishing trade in cattle, sheep and horses. Old records show that
at the November ‘Pudding and Pie’ fair as many as 600 or 700 horses changed
hands. The old street-names like Bull Ring and Horse Fair are still in use. The
fair marked an important day in the village in the 18th and 19th centuries. It
offered villagers a fine day out with a band playing, and a chance for them to
buy clothing, linen and household goods. After the Second World War it turned
into a fun fair. Otherwise Deddington was self-sufficient and supported the
usual trades like glove-making, a forge, candlemaking and clock making. The old
industries included a paper mill and a beaver hat factory at Clifton. It was
also known for good malt, hence the third line of the rhyme.
Today, Deddington is still a beautiful village of some 2,000 inhabitants. The
older houses are built of golden Hornton stone and some of them are of
considerable architectural and historical interest. Many are built
right on to the streets, which makes for the surprise and pleasure
of finding large gardens behind them.
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