Banbury Cross.

Dusk at the Junction.

The town is probably best known because of the popular nursery rhyme. However, this is not the Banbury Cross that this would have related to.

The rhyme is believed to date back to before 1760, when there were three crosses: High, Market and Bread. All had been demolished in 1600, following a ruling by the council.

The current Banbury Cross stands in the centre of a road junction. It was constructed in 1859. It was not until 1914 that the three statues (one of which can be seen centrally near the base) were installed. Originally, it was intended that there should be six statues.

To the right of the statue can be seen a four-storey building. There are a row of 7 white windows on the top floor. This is part of the frontage of the Odeon Cinema. Built as the Regal in 1940, it became an Essoldo in 1956. It was taken over by Classic in 1972, being “twinned” the following year. Classic were taken over by Cannon in 1996, and subsequently by ABC, who later merged with Odeon, this cinema becoming an Odeon in 2001.

The lit tower to the far right in this image of Banbury Cross is that of the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin. This was built between 1793 and 1827, replacing the previous building which had burnt down in 1792.

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Photograph Details:

• Taken: 17 October 2017
• Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
• Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm 1:4 L IS USM
• Focal Length 16mm
• F/11
• 25 Sec
• ISO 100