At least one man thought so, the military historian and Oxford University Fellow Sir Charles Oman, in 1898. He certainly didn’t spare his words either, “Broughton Castle… about the most beautiful castle in all England … for sheer loveliness of the combination of water, woods and picturesque buildings.”

Other writers have added their opinions, including, “It is still the most romantic house imaginable. English to the core”… “Perfection, what with moat, gatehouse, church, and gorgeous orange and buff stone.”

In 2003, Simon Jenkins, author of ‘England’s Thousand Best Houses’ gave Broughton Castle a five-star rating, one shared by just 19 others out of the 1000 in his book.

So what’s my opinion of this lauded place a few miles from Banbury? Well, I’ve yet to give my final rating as these pictures were taken recently, when the Castle itself was firmly shut to visitors – only the parklike surrounds were open to visit, and very handsome they are too, even if the day was an icy one – despite some winter sun, the wind was cold enough to slice you clean in two.

Broughton Castle is a mediaeval manor house that dates back to 1300, and has been owned by the Fiennes family since 1451. Like many a country house, it has had its share of playing background to TV and movies, including ‘Oxford Blues’, ‘The Madness of King George’ and one of my favourites, ‘Shakespeare in Love.’

As a final word, my only issue is with the word ‘Castle’ in the title. As a house, it’s amazing, but as a castle, well, my vote goes to any of those more battleworthy mediaeval fortresses such as Alnwick, Bodiam, Dover, Warwick, and many others.

‘Tchure’… I hadn’t run across this weird word until I visited the village of Deddington, a few miles south of Banbury. It’s a pretty little place, with shops, pubs and cafes clustered around a green – and a few minutes walk away, the remains of an ancient castle.

The tchure of Deddington links a footpath next to the main Oxford to Banbury road with the village centre, and is a pleasant little alley linking the two. And that’s what the word means: it’s an old Oxfordshire term meaning ‘alley’, though some reckon it also means ‘sewer’, probably the open kind, not uncommon in times before the Victorians pioneered the mains water systems we enjoy today.

In fact, Deddington is not alone in having a tchure – I’ve tracked down several others, including ones in the villages of Charlton-on-Otmoor, Steeple Aston, Upper Heyford and Souldern. Mind you, the names seem to vary, as the word can be written in several ways, including ‘tewer’ or ‘chewer’, spellings that are more like that possible sewer derivation.

No matter – today, the tchure of Deddington is a quiet (and non-smelly!) backwater that’s well worth a look, especially if you visit Deddington on one of its open-market food fair Saturdays. For any foodie (and TEE is definitely among the faithful) it’s a visit again-and-again affair.

Don’t forget to go inside the handsome church of St Peter and St Paul, and if you can’t get enough of olde-worlde things, then allow some time to trawl for rare treasures in the fascinating antique centre just around the corner…