Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial Walk
Our Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial walk straddles the Oxfordshire / Northamptonshire border. It visits the picturesque villages of Cropredy, Upper Wardington, and Chipping Warden, the crash site of Wellington Bomber LP286, the site of the Civil War Battle of Cropredy Bridge, and includes a few miles of relaxing canal side walking along the Oxford Canal. In essence, this is a great historical Essentially England day out in rural countryside.
We choose to start this 9-mile circular walk from the village of Cropredy, which has a public car park beside the sports field. Parking was easy on this sunny, mid-week morning in June, but the village and car park can get busy when sporting events are taking place. We also used this car park to start our Cropredy Canal Walk, which meanders around Cropredy and the Oxford Canal.
Pretty Thatched Properties in Cropredy © essentially-england.comCropredy is a pretty Oxfordshire village situated beside the Oxford Canal and River Cherwell. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and its name comes from the Old English cropp, meaning hill, and ridig meaning a stream. Apart from being the site of the 1644 Battle of Cropredy Bridge, the village is best known for its summer music festival, and its connection with British folk band Fairport Convention.
Wellington
Bomber LP286 Memorial Walk Map
We plotted our Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial walking route using the komoot.com mapping software. If you are a subscriber, you can download the route onto your mobile device and get voice instructions to guide you, or you can get the gpx file to transfer it to your gps device. Either method is useful walking in the countryside, as sometimes the footpaths are not clearly signposted.
Almost immediately after turning left out of the car park, we came to the Cropredy Bridge battle site. Here the Royalist Army commanded by King Charles I fought the Parliamentarian Army led by Sir William Waller on the 29th of June 1644. The armies were evenly matched, with around 9,000 men on each side and comprised pikemen, musketeers, mounted infantry, cavalry, and cannons. The battle ended in a stalemate, with both armies watching each other across the River Cherwell. If you’re interest in Civil War battlefield sites, then there is a waymarked 20-mile walk called the Battlefield Trail which visits the battle sites of Cropredy Bridge, Edgecot, and Edgehill. However, be warned that - for a while - the route maybe affected by the HS2 railway works!
Battle of Cropredy Bridge Site © essentially-england.comTo continue the walk, cross the bridge and join the Oxford Canal by the Bridge Store (closed down when we visited in June 2025). Walk past the store along the towpath to Cropredy Lock where the route joins the road that runs alongside the River Cherwell. Look for an easy to miss footpath on the right that crosses the river onto farmland. The footpath runs through several fields up to the A361 road. Carefully cross the road and continue across open fields and eventually around Wardington cricket pitch. Join the road and walk into Upper Wardington which we found brimming with lovely, golden ironstone cottages. The route then climbs away from the village across farmland for a chance to stop, take a breather, and admire the fine views.
The View Over Upper Wardington © essentially-england.comAfter a while, the path gently slopes down to join Edgcote Road by a pair of identical terraces of cottages, one either side of the road, which we assume were originally part of the Edgcote estate. Once past the cottages, we kept to the left and our route took us to the pretty church of St. James. Parts of the church date from the thirteenth century, but sadly for us, the church was not open. However, a bench in the churchyard gave us a respite from the morning sun and a chance to reflect on the peaceful surroundings.
The Church of St. James on the Edgcote Estate © essentially-england.comTurning right out of the churchyard, we soon reached Edgcote House, the hub of the 1,700-acre Edgcote Estate, once owned by Anne of Cleeves, King Henry VIII’s fourth wife and Queen of England between January and July 1540. In the late 1500’s, William Chauncy, MP for Northamptonshire and High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, purchased the estate from the Crown. Later, in 1642, King Charles I used Edgote as a base for his army before the Battle of Edgehill, the first major battle of the English Civil War.
The current house is Grade I listed and was built for London merchant Richard Chauncy around 1750.
Edgcote House © essentially-england.comFrom Edgcote House we followed a tree-lined avenue that eventually took us back across the River Cherwell and on to the Wellington Bomber crash site and memorial on the outskirts of Chipping Warden. The small stone memorial is easy to find as the footpath goes right past it.
The Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial © essentially-england.comOn Wednesday, 18th April 1945, Wellington Bomber LP286 took off from RAF Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire at 12:28 to start a navigation training exercise. On board were the pilot, Flight Sergeant William John Hillier, and Sergeants Hamilton Mairs, Arthur Gordan Grant, James Brian Egan, Patrick McGowan, and Philip Vincent Birch. During the exercise, the plane developed starboard engine problems, and the crew returned to base. The first landing attempt was aborted and as the plane circled for a second landing attempt, it clipped some trees, crashed in a field, and burst into flames just outside the village of Chipping Warden. Five brave young men lost their lives, with the only survivor being Sergeant Philip Vicent Birch, aged 19, who was the rear gunner.
Wellington Bomber LP286 Crash Site © essentially-england.comChipping Warden is another lovely village with lots of ironstone houses, some still with thatched roofs. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul has been described as one of the best medieval churches in Northamptonshire. This Grade I listed church is thought to date from the fourteenth century, but two blocked-up gothic arches in the north wall and a chancel window dated to before 1300 suggests there may have been an earlier church on this site. Inside the church, we found a wooden Wellington Bomber memorial.
Outside the church, at the junction of Hogg End and Mill Lane, sits the stepped base of a medieval market cross. This Grade II listed structure is thought to date from the 13/14th centuries.
The Market Cross and Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Chipping Warden © essentially-england.comOur route left Chipping Warden, crossed the busy A361 road, and headed northwest through rural countryside towards the Oxford Canal. The footpaths were, generally, well signposted and the walking was easy.
The Oxford Canal links Coventry and Oxford and opened between 1774 and 1790. The canal is 78-miles long, but we only had a two and a half mile section to complete to find our way back to Cropredy, which made a very relaxing end to the walk. We do love walking canal towpaths as they're often so peaceful and remote - like this stretch - and it's lovely watching the brightly coloured narrow boats. I’m sure one day we’ll hire one for a holiday!
Beautiful Reflections on the Oxford Canal © essentially-england.comBack in Cropredy, we left the canal at the lock and walked up through the village via St. Mary the Virgin church and back to the car. Or you could stay on the canal and return via the Bridge Store.
St. Mary the Virgin Church in Cropredy © essentially-england.comOur Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial walk made a great day out, had plenty of historical interest, and passed through some wonderful rural countryside. We were out for hours and only met a few people on our travels. Bliss…
There are a few more photographs from this walk in the gallery at the bottom of the page.
And don't forget, if you to enjoy canal walks and like this area, we have our Cropredy Canal Walk, which explores a little more of Cropredy and has two sections along the Oxofrd Canal.
Oxfordshire Holiday Cottages
The Oxfordshire landscape consists of gently rolling farmland which grows hillier towards the Chilterns. It boasts a maze of small roads and footpaths, making it an excellent destination for walking and cycling holidays, and ideal for short breaks.
For the less energetic, Oxfordshire brims with history and wonderful places to visit: the university city of Oxford and its grand buildings oozing history, the picturesque town of Woodstock and grand Blenheim Palace, small Cotswold towns and smaller villages, and - of course - the River Thames.
If you're a Downton Abbey fan, then you might like to know that many of the scenes were filmed in Oxfordshire. The charming town of Bampton was used as the Downton Abbey village.
Why not visit and spend a few days wandering between spires, Roman mosaics, ancient standing stones, and green, rolling hills? Here are a few ideas of where you could stay:
To browse holiday cottages in other parts of England click here.
If you need to find a hotel, then try one of these search platforms...
Photo Gallery
Field Walking Away from Cropredy © essentially-england.com
The Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial in St. Peter's and St. Paul's Church © essentially-england.com
Pretty Cottages in Chipping Warden © essentially-england.com
Clattercote Wharf on the Oxford Canal © essentially-england.com
Cottage Garden in Cropredy © essentially-england.comIf you have enjoyed reading about our Wellington Bomber LP286 Memorial Walk, please use the link back to our Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire pages for ideas for other great days out.
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