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Bicester (pronounced "bister") is a town in the Cherwell district of north-eastern Oxfordshire in England , with a population of 28,672 (2001 census). It is currently one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire. This growth has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 Motorway linking it to Oxford , Birmingham and London . The town is twinned with Neunkirchen-Seelscheid near Bonn and Cologne in Germany and also with Canton Des Essarts lying between Nantes and Bordeaux in France . The town has a long-standing connection to the military. The British Army 's largest Ordnance depot - the Central Ordnance Depot of the Royal Logistic Corps (formerly the Royal Army Ordnance Corps ) - is located just outside the town. The depot has its own internal railway system, the Bicester Military Railway . There is also a former Royal Air Force station, now Bicester Airfield . The charity Oxfam has its emergency warehouse near Bicester. The town has two and Bicester Town . Bicester North is served by Chiltern Railways train services between London ( Marylebone ) and Birmingham ( Snow Hill ). Bicester Town has a Branch-line service to Oxford and Islip . Bicester is home to two secondary schools: ) in the locality. The trilogy '' Lark Rise To Candleford '' by Flora Thompson was based in the north east of Bicester. Some of the book's plot was set in the nearby villages of Juniper Hill , Hethe , Cottisford and Fringford . Bicester is also the location of the retail outlet Bicester Village Shopping Centre and a large Tesco superstore. Nearby places include Banbury , Kidlington , Brackley , Buckingham , Oxford , and Witney . HISTORY Bicester has a history going back to Saxon times, and was recorded in the Domesday book. The name Bicester, deriving from the earlier forms ''Berncestre'', ''Burencestre'', and ''Bissiter'', means "The Fort of the Warriors". The ruins of the Roman settlement of Alchester and the remains of an Augustinian priory lie 1.5 miles south-west of Bicester. It is ''Bernecestre'' in Phillimore and Co Ltd translation of the Doomsday book. Bicester could also be trancelated quite litraly from Latin to mean "The 2 forts" from ''Bi-cester''. Although Bicester is believed to have been established by the west Saxons in the sixth century the first authentic reference to it is in the Norman Domesday Book survey of 1086 when it is recorded as Berencestra, its two manors of Bicester and Wretchwick being held by Robert d'Oily who built Oxford Castle. By the thirteenth Century two further manors are mentioned, Bury End and Nuns Place, later known as Market End and Kings End respectively. The latter was acquired in 1584 by the Coker family. The Lord of the manor of Market End was the Earl of Derby who, by the end of the sixteenth century, had leased it to the inhabitants together with the market rights. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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