Little Coxwell

Little Coxwell is a picturesque little village on the hilly ridge known as the Midvale Ridge about 2 miles south west of Faringdon, on a quiet lane just off the A420 Oxford to Swindon road.

The Church of St. Mary's is a 12th Century Chapel of Ease, built by the Monks of Beaulieu Abbey. It is reached along a footpath from the road and contains a number of features of historical and architectural interest including an ancient belfry.

A mile or so to the east of the village are Coles Pits which have been connected for generations with the merry nursery rhyme character Old King Cole, and and supposedly being traces of an ancient British town. There are 273 pits altogether and they are between 7 & 22ft deep and up to 40ft in diameter. The pits have also been thought to be the underground homes of a primitive pre-Roman race living in the area. However it is more likely that the pits are simply the sites of mine shafts dug for the purpose of obtaining the underlying ironstone.