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WELCOME TO THIS SHOWCASE OF THE BEAUTIFUL
VILLAGES
OF OXFORDSHIRE
This
is a personal collection of photographs and village notes which I hope
you enjoy. At the moment all the villages included are in the south of
the county so it's far from complete, but I'm adding more all the time
and I hope to eventually cover the whole county.
ABOUT THE SHOWCASE:
Most villages included are listed individually but where
it is more logical, or where villages are close together and small,
I've grouped some
with their neighbours.
As well as photographs I've included a short narrative for each village
and a Multimap link to enable you to locate
the village easily with a choice of map formats (see
below).
I've chosen photos that reflect the character
of the village - typical
village
views and pictures
of some of the cottages
that give the
village its particular character. I've included pictures
of the parish church, village pubs and other important or well-known buildings,
including any other
churches.
I've tried to describe the village as I saw it but to
provide a background I have
collected some information
from other sources, especially historical information.
I realise there may be some
omissions but I sincerely hope there
are no errors. I regret I cannot accept responsibility if any errors are
found.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTY:
 Much
of Oxfordshire is pleasantly undulating, with the
rolling Berkshire Downs in the extreme south and the
wooded Chiltern Hills in the south-east. In
the west and north-west are the
the Cotswolds, well-known for their attractive mellow stone towns and
villages. But elsewhere
the county is very flat! Visit
the Vale of White Horse, or the Thames valley west of Oxford, and the
extreme flatness of these areas is immediately apparent! The
River Thames, which
crosses the county
from west to east, is
the main river of Oxfordshire and many of the small rivers and streams
throughout the county feed this
great river .
The
character of most villages is influenced
by their local
geography;
the hills, rivers and the flat countryside of Oxfordshire all contribute
to their character and often still dictate their appearance. In
the shadow of the Downs you will find cottages built of chalk, whereas
in much of the county timber framing is very evident and thatch is very
common. The north and north-west of the county is quite different and
golden or grey stone buildings with stone roofs dominate.
THE VILLAGES OF THE CITY OF OXFORD:
Modern Oxford includes several old Oxfordshire villages within
its city boundaries; villages that were at one time 'ordinary' rural communities.
Although villages like Iffley, Cowley, Headington, Marston can mostly
still be identified they are now suburbs of the city. Some (and Headington
is a good example) still have a sense of community and their identity
has been preserved but I do not feel that they really merit a listing
in this showcase and therefore they have not been included.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
My thanks are especially due to the following
reference sources for some of the information: The Oxfordshire Village
Book, published by Countryside Books and updated by the Oxfordshire
Federation of Women's Institutes, Philip's County Guide Oxfordshire,
Harry Knight's Upper Thames Valley Today, David Nash Ford's Royal
Berkshire History - www.berkshirehistory.com, the numerous village
websites to which links have been provided in the showcase and numerous
other sources I've come across whilst idly googling for information. Some
of the information about churches has been obtained from leaflets or flyers
published by the churches concerned.
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