Bladon

The village of Bladon spreads out along the A4095 on the edge of Blenheim Park just south of Woodstock and also up the side of the hill on the south of the main road towards Bladon Heath which is high above the village.

The village was probably originally centred around the Church of St. Martin which overlooks the village on the higher ground. Here on the hillside there are some narrow streets with small cottages and terraces, and the old village shop.

The village name is derived from an earlier name for the River Evenlode, the ‘Bladene’, which runs just to the west of the village. Iron Age remnants have been found at the ‘Round Castle’ on Bladon Heath and this is evidence of early settlement in the area.

The early history of Bladon is chiefly concerned with the quarrying of limestone which was used in many of the local buildings. The village, along with nearby Woodstock, was also a centre for the glove making industry.

The Parish Church of St Martin was originally 11th or 12th century, but was rebuilt. twice in the 19th century: firstly in 1804, and then again in 1891. Bladon also has a Methodist Church.

Bladon is now famous for the grave of Sir Winston Churchill in the graveyard of St. Martin's where, in 1965, Sir Winston Churchill was buried at the head of the grave of Lady Randolph Churchill his mother and alongside the grave of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill. Churchill's grave is inevitably a tourist attraction and the village is ill-suited to accommodate the crowds that arrive.