Drovers Way

You are now standing near to the place where an ancient drovers’ way, part of a cattle track that stretches from Wales via Banbury Market and all the way through to London, intersects Stewkley.

It comes out into High Street North crossing in front of the Village Hall and then turning up Ivy Lane (or ‘Backway’ as locals know it) past what was once the old Rose and Crown public house. It then turns left into the wide expanse of Garners Lane and goes across the fields and on towards the South. Mainly Cattle and Sheep, but also Geese were driven along this drovers way right up to their final destination, the Smithfield Market and the Islington Cattle Market in London. There were several ponds for the watering of animals along its route. The triangular area forward of Numbers 28-34 Ivy Lane was once a pond and these cottages are still referred to locally as Pond Cottages. Watering the animals here had another advantage. If any had cast a shoe they could be shod at the nearby forge, which adjoined 14, Ivy Lane (Little Dormers). Another pond still exists today at the north end of Ivy Lane, adjacent to what was the old Rose and Crown pub.

Today, the Drovers Way westwards has been built over at Pond House on High Street North and so very little remains to be seen of what used to be a very commercially important thoroughfare for Stewkley.

There were some real characters that walked the drovers way and they became quite legendary local personalities. Had those same characters possessed ‘fitbit’ wristbands as we have today, they would have been able to accurately record the hundreds of miles they must have tramped on foot! James Ashpole was one of the most well known locally. He was simply known as ‘Ashy the drover’ and he was often to be found drinking at the local public houses with his faithful Pomeranian dog by his side. Thankfully, he has not been lost forever, as we have a wonderful picture of him and his dog recorded for posterity.