Stadhampton and Chiselhampton

The centre of Stadhampton is dominated by a filling station and, perhaps also because it is at a busy crossroads, Stadhampton appears larger than it actually is. Furthermore the village also incorporates an area known as Brookhampton. But really there is little to Stadhampton apart from the usual mix of old - some thatched - and new houses, the parish church and a couple of pubs. That said, parts of the village have a certain character and really are quite attractive.

On the north of the village is a large green, bisected by the B480, and originally the majority of the houses were around the green.

Stadhampton is on the junction of the A329 Wallingford to Thame road and the B480 Henley to Oxford road which takes traffic from the M40 to south Oxford and the Abingdon area via Watlington. So the village is usually busy with traffic.

The parish church is the Church of St. John the Baptist which has stood on it's present site since the 12th century however the present building dates from 1588.

The name of the village originally meant an enclosure or meadow by a river where horses are kept, the river in question being the River Thame which is perhaps a quarter of a mile away at the edge of Chiselhampton. The village was at one time known simply as 'Stadham'; the 'ton' being a later addition to the name.

Chiselhampton is a small hamlet about half a mile to the west of Stadhampden. It is also at a road junction, where the B4015 from Clifton Hampden joins the B480, and is on the bank of the River Thame. To the north of the village is Chiselhampden House, not visible from the road, and next to this is the redundant St. Katherine's Church, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. St. Katherine's is an attractive little church and is one of the few complete Georgian churches in the country.