St Mary's Spring Craft Fair
St Mary's is situated at the heart of Banbury, just a few minutes walk from Banbury Cross. Its impressive domed pepper pot tower offers an imposing and distinctive landmark for Banbury. Peering out majestically from the many thick bushy trees on the grounds, the church acts more as a beacon to central Banbury than the small cross for which the town is famous.
For those who have never ventured onto the grassy area to your left, after you have walked up the small set of steps leading from Horsefair, there is proof the church has always been a draw to visitors. A small stone plaque commemorates the fact that Jonathan Swift found the name for his famous fictional Gulliver, of Gulliver's Travels, from tombstones within the graveyard surrounding St Mary's.
The grounds and stones that make up the church have fascinated me since I was a child. For one odd spring I was morbidly obsessed with heading to the graveyard with my mum, seeking out the recently deceased. Worry not, I don't mean I was peering into open graves; indeed, I don't believe the cemetery has been used for many decades. No, instead it was the tragic end for some feathered friends to which I was strangely drawn. I must have spotted a chick that had likely been pushed from its nest by a stronger sibling lying on the grass one day. That was likely my first experience of death, and for whatever reason, the morbid spectre entranced me. Whether there were an unusual amount of these poor beasts that year I know not, but bless my mum, she continued to accompany me on my frequent counts of the casualties. Fortunately for us both, it was something for which my interest eventually waned.
The stones also harbour the deceased, and I don't mean the slab tombstones that line the sides of the church. It is the tiny crustaceans fossilised within the stone that always drew my attention. I loved seeing the white swirls, loops, and lines that denoted the original sea creature, long since sunk to the depths, crushed into rock, and later hewn out into the large rectangular chunks that now form our late 18th century church.
It was through the yellow stone columns that hold the entrance to the church itself that I stepped on Saturday the 25th of April. The craft fair spilled out into the entrance hall, with a couple of stalls packed with homemade preserves of all types. Even before entering the church proper I could sense the buzz and clamour of customers browsing through a variety of indoor market stalls.
Between each of the stalls, to the left, in the centre, and to the right, were rows of colourful stalls, all packed with a wonderful array of home crafted goodies. Tea, coffee, cake, and biscuits could be had to the right, where several little tables and chairs had been set up for those needing a well-earned break from all that hard browsing.
The hustle and bustle brought to mind an earlier era, when churches would be the hub of the community, and in the large cathedrals, traders would set up stall. There was an easy going, relaxed atmosphere, enhanced by the comforting light streaming through the many impressive and colourful stained glass windows. No one was in a hurry here. The manic rush of the shopping centre, the pressure of the high cost purchase nowhere to be seen. Here you could find one-off handmade jewellery, wonderful hand sewn clothing, cushions, and blankets. There you would see crocheted lip balm holders, or carved wooden ornaments. In the corner were locally crafted chocolates to die for, no use for those avoiding sugar in their diet, but dreadfully tempting! More jars of preserves, and a delightful array of artistic endeavours. This was no manic market place, but a warm and friendly space.
Up the steps to the rear of the church I bumped into Steve Gold, who I got to know by a quirk of social networking. It was almost four years ago, at this very church that Steve was getting married, and I had decided to go for a walk to snap some photographs. As it happens, I snapped a few of his wedding, having spotted his lovely bride at the nearby bus stop, and thinking the image of a bride in white waiting by a bus stop an interesting one, I started to snap away like I was the paparazzi. A few pictures of their special day made it onto my old blog, someone who knew Steve pointed this out, and luckily instead of demanding I remove the images, we become friends on Twitter. Fittingly, photography is one of Steve's talents, and it was for this reason he was at the craft fair. His stall was full of mounted photos, a few framed images, and gift card versions. Being a fan of photography myself, I was drawn into a lovely chat about his many impressive images. I was particularly drawn to one picture, taken in France, which had an eerie, yet pleasingly ethereal emptiness about it, which made me feel I would enjoy looking at it again and again. I had not attended planning to spend much; I eventually agreed to think about the purchase. Steve will be participating in the upcoming Oxfordshire Artweeks, running from the 2nd May to the 10th in our area, so I agreed I may be a purchaser then, though this may depend on what my wife thinks, and where we could possibly fit the photo! Steve belongs to the Banbury photographic club, and indeed, recently won their colour photograph competition, for a wonderful image of sundry household items all stacked together seemingly randomly. It's a fascinating picture that seems both chaotic, and structured. Much of Steve's work can be seen and bought from his website, www.stevegold.co.uk.
Closer to the entrance, down the middle aisle I met another face I recognised, a lovely local lady called Jacqui, who had crocheted various little items, such as keepsake baskets, lip balm holders, bookmarks and key rings. Asking how it had been going, I discovered the bookmarks had sold out, and the key rings were not far behind. The lip balm holders were not the usual hit they had been in the past, though I suggested this was likely a seasonal matter, being that her last big craft fair was a winter affair, where chapped lips were more abound. The amount of items Jacqui had personally crocheted was impressive considering she is also a busy mum of two young children. Apparently to produce her goods, she was awaking up at 5.45am to gain an extra half hour each day, before the kids needed school, chores reared their ugly heads, and children returned from school to cause continued distractions.
Browsing the remaining items I spotted a cute mushroom keyring that reminded me of the classic Nintendo game Super Mario Bros, though it was clear this association was lost on Jacqui. I decided I ought to leave the craft fair with at least one purchase, and at £2 this seemed a bargain. The sale also provided the joke of the day. Baz Whitehouse, who runs The Artery in Parson's Street, had also bought one, because, so he says, he's a 'fun guy'...
And with that hilarity I bring my brief tour of the craft fair to an end. I highly recommend that if ever you are in the Banbury area and spot that St Mary's are having a craft fair, that you nip in and have a browse. You will meet lovely, friendly locals, who have all poured care and hard work into their unique creations. There's bound to be something for everyone, and you will be sure to come away with something you won't find anywhere else. A little piece of Banbury, all of your own!
