Following the devastating fire in March 2022 which put the Churchill Arms out of action the building sat there rotting until January 2025.  Finally the contractors have now started work on the repair and restoration of this fine listed building in the centre of our village but there seems to be a hold up whilst there are arguments about an unsafe chimney.

Work is expected to take at least all year before we see a reopening.  In the meantime, we hold a monthly drinks evening in the Village Hall which we really hope will not be needed in 2026!

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Not since the long, drawn-out days of the pandemic, have the gardens of Paxford looked so lovely, or been so well tended.  The incentive was our first ever Open Gardens event held on the afternoon of June 8th, bringing visitors of all ages from in and around the village.  Billed more as a relaxed social event than an exercise in gardening one-upmanship, expectations had been well managed in advance but were greatly exceeded. As one garden owner said, “Once we’d committed to opening, the weeds didn’t stand a chance”.

For a small village, Paxford has a surprising range of garden styles, from sweeping lawns with wide herbaceous borders and a sunken garden, through stunning modern design, to pretty cottage gardens brimming with tender salvias and pelargoniums.  June was the perfect time for climbing roses of all shades, looking lovely against our golden Cotswold stone.  Water was much in evidence (the clue is in the village name!) with stream sides and edge-of-ponds bright with yellow Flag Irises, and plantings of candelabra primulas and the large saucer like leaves of Darmera peltata ‘Nana’.  

Around the village were some wonderful architectural plants, such as Stipea gigantea with its arching panicles of feathery golden flowers, purple alliums standing sentinel in squares of box topiary, huge pots of blue-green hostas and the tall spikes of Verbena bonariensis, just waiting to burst into flower. One garden featured a dramatic weeping purple beech, another a beautiful Cornus kousa, white petals edged with pink, still another a vine-clad pergola laden with tiny young grapes.  Closer to ground were many lavenders, hardy geraniums & geums, exquisite small pinks and stone troughs & pans of beautiful alpines.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to making this event a success: garden owners and others who donated scrumptious cakes and organised ticketing and teas in the village hall.  The weather started grey and unseasonably cool, but ended with blue skies and sunshine, making the perfect end to a lovely English summer’s day.