Come on a walk with me (2)

So, there we were, at the edge of the park, remember?  Wondering which way to go?  Well, get your shoes on, and we'll have another wander.......  When you get to the edge of the park, there is a tiny little lane; can be a bit spooky, but I always like the fact that you can't see the end of it.  I feel it's like life; 'you never know what's around the corner, hinny'.  Well, here's the lane..........

Can you see the sunshine at the end?  Aren't you just dying to know what's around that corner?  Well, I'll show you...........

It's Jane Austen's house!  Well, not really, but I like to think that while Jane was writing her masterpieces, some distant half-cousin-thrice-removed was sitting at one of these windows waiting for Fitzwilliam to accompany her to the recital.  The recital was probably in the church opposite, so there would be no need for stout shoes.

From this spot, we can saddle up and...

To the world famous monument that I'm sure you've all been waiting to see.  Well, you need wait no longer.  Here it is.....

Leaning a little, probably either because of the curvature of the earth, or because of the curvature of the photographer, but otherwise sturdy.  And here's the actual lady who rode there....

She has her back to us, because the sun was in her eyes.  From here, Banbury becomes a town of 'two halves', where old meets new.  We're going to look at the old today, and the somewhat quirky, too.  If you're ready, we'll move on......

Down the High Street, this is the oldest date I found today, but I will continue hunting, and if I find an older one, you'll be the first to know ...

It's above an old wine shop. This is the year that both Edward VI and Lady Jane Grey were born, (My thanks to Wikipaedia for that little titbit).  The next nearest date I found was this....

Apparently the year of Guy Fawkes' birth.  Which is interesting, because, in this very building, there were secret meetings held by Oliver Cromwell.  You can find out more information here.  Bet you want to visit now!

Ok, we'll just have a quick look at some of the quirky, before we head back home for today.  (Some of us are not retired, so we can't spend all day on outings).  Almost next door to the fantastic Reinedeer pub, is this chap.....

Don't know what he's doing there, and I don't know who he is.  I like to think that it's Willie the Shake, as he used to live along the road at Stratford, but I can't recall him writing about the Two Gentlemen of Banbury, so maybe, just maybe, I'm wrong.

Jump forward in time, and we have this........

Banbury was very much an agricultural town; if you watched 'Lark Rise to Candleford' you'll know that.  If you haven't seen it, let me enlighten you.  'Candleford' in the title was really Banbury, and the programme is a very factual and accurate portrayal of rural life, where everyone looks out for each other, and good always overcomes evil, and everyone has a smile on their face at the end of the day, and sings ditties around the village green.

Well, it's time to go home now, and you need to decide whether you want to call in here......

for a wee glass to quench your thirst, or here........

for a nice soak to refresh your weary feet.  as usual, you decide.
Back through the lane the other way (curious how the sun is at the other end now)

See you next time :)