Ambrosden

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.8975
longitude= -1.1497
official_name= Ambrosden
population= 1300
shire_district= Cherwell
shire_county = Oxfordshire
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Banbury
post_town= BICESTER
postcode_district = OX25
postcode_area= OX
dial_code= 01869
os_grid_reference= SP5822

Ambrosden is a village in the east of the county of Oxfordshire, south-east of the town of Bicester. It lies on the north side of the valley of the River Ray. Nearby villages include Arncott, Blackthorn, Merton, Piddington, Fencott and Wendlebury. The nearest town to Ambrosden is Bicester.

History

The parish church of St Mary is mostly 14th century in date, incorporating a Norman doorway. The nearby vicarage dates from 1638. The village school was built in 1876 in the Gothic style.

Akeman Street runs just north of the village and Bicester Military Railway runs to the south.

Place name scholars have suggested that Ambrosden is named after Ambrosius Aurelianus, a leader of the Romano-British, who won battles against the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century.

Modern day Ambrosden

Ambrosden is a very multi cultural society as there is a large Fijian population in the village. This is due to the fact that the Fijian national service serve in the British Army, as Fiji does not have an Armed forces of its own. Ambrosden is occupied largely by the British Army.

Politics

Ambrosden does not have a Member of Parliament (MP) in its own right; instead there is an MP for Bicester and Ambrosden. The current MP for Bicester and Ambrosden is Tony Baldry who is a Conservative backbencher. Ambrosden is run by Cherwell council. Cherwell District Council is a very Conservative council as 42 of the 50 councillors are Conservative, four are Labour and four are Liberal Democrats. Ambrosden and Chesterton's councillor is a Conservative called Andrew Fulljames. The local elections were last held on 3 May 2007. The Ambrosden and Chesterton ones where held at Ambrosden town hall.

Military presence

Ambrosden has been occupied by the British Army, who have personnel based in a local defence armoury, since the Second World War. A large housing development was built in the 1950s, more than doubling the size of the village. However over the last decade the army has been downscaling and properties have therefore been sold to civilian families by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.

Business

In Ambrosden business comes in the form of the British Army, the local shops and amenities, and Ambrosden Court limited who specialise in architecture.

There is also a village post office that serves the community, a pub, a car dealership and garage. There is also a craft shop that sells to the trade.

Social infrastructure

Ambrosden is home to a post office, hair salon, and a public house The Turner Arms. The Army also provides a community centre for personnel and their families incorporating a library, a gym, a careers centre and an indoor swimming pool. Towards the back of Ambrosden opposite the post office is the Ambrosden village hall (originally the village school).

Sports

Sporting facilities in Ambrosden include a swimming pool and many open fields which are used for many different sports, chiefly football and rugby union. Other popular sports in Ambrosden include running and dog walking. Although there are no actual sporting teams in Ambrosden there are many sporting personalities who play for various teams across Oxfordshire.

Future developments

Planned developments in Ambrosden include a pelican crossing and several new apartment buildings as well as new housing estates at the front and to the east of Ambrosden.

People That Live Here

Further reading

* David Robert Green - "In the Wake of Ambrosius: An Illustrated Rural History Focusing on the Upper Ray Valley, Oxfordshire" (2000) ISBN 0-9538455-0-8
* Martin Henig, Paul M Booth - " Roman Oxfordshire" (2000) ISBN 978-0-7509-1959-3
* Nick Cotton-"Cycle Tours: 24 One-day Routes in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire (Ordnance Survey Cycle Tours) (Spiral-bound)" ISBN 978-0-600-58156-7

External links

* [http://www.ambrosden.org/ Ambrosden village website]
* [http://www.mispedia.org/Ambrosden.html]
* [http://www.acny.org.uk/5769/]
* [http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Oxfordshire/places/Ambrosden.html]
* [http://www.information-britain.co.uk/findings.cfm?town=Ambrosden]
* http://www.ambrosdencourt.co.uk/