HARDWICK and YELFORD

Hardwick is a very small village of around a dozen houses and a farm on the River Windrush. The village is just a few yards east of the A415 Witney to Abingdon road and is now bypassed by the B4449 Eynsham to Hardwick road.

Nearby is Cokethorpe Park which is now occupied by Cokethorpe School, an independent, coeducational day school. In the grounds of the school is the former Hardwick parish church, St. Mary's, which is now the school chapel. For the history and full information about St. Mary's Church click here.

Hardwick is about 2.5 miles south-east of Witney.

Yelford is an even smaller village comprising little more than the manor house, a tiny church, a farm and a cottage or two. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas and St. Swithun, may have been founded as a chapel by 1221. It was completely rebuilt in about 1500 and was restored at some time between 1869 and 1873, which may be when the bellcote was added. For the history and full information about the church of St. Nicholas and St. Swithun click here.

The manor house is a timber-framed building with a moat.  It was altered in about 1600, when a first floor was inserted in what until then had been the great hall and a great stone chimneystack was added. In the 1970s the house was described as "The best, and certainly the most picturesque, large timber-framed house in the county."

Yelford is about 3 miles south of Witney and 1.5 miles south-west of Hardwick.