Standlake and Brighthampton

The village of Standlake is on the A415 Witney to Abingdon road, about 5 miles southeast of Witney, and probably just over a mile north of where the River Windrush meets the Thames at Newbridge. The village is in the area of flat flood plain between the River thames and the higher ground to the north.

Like many villages, most of Standlake in fact lies off the main road and is centred on High Street and Church End which are to the north of the A415. The village is an attractive mixture of cottages and more modern houses and has a couple of pubs.

Most through traffic passes along the A415, Abingdon Road so the village centre is relatively quiet.

The name Standlake means 'stony stream' which reflects the village's low-lying position among a network of rivers and streams. The River Windrush is on the edge of the village, and surrounding the village are numerous gravel pits, many now used for fishing and aquatic sports such as windsurfing. Because the the Windrush and smaller streams are so close to the village Standlake has a history of flooding and, according to British History Online, in the 18th century the village was described as 'situate upon a damn'd standing puddle, long, deep and dirty'.

On the northern edge of Standlake is St. Giles Church, dating from the latter part of the 12th century. The church was enlarged in the 13th and 14th centuries and underwent further alterations in about 1500. Near the church, on the River Windrush, is Church Mill which dates from at least the 13th century. It was disused by 1911 but was repaired in the 1920s and then generated electricity until 1968. During the Second World War it again undertook some corn milling. The mill was again restored early in the 1980s and in 2006 was known to be still in working order.

About half a mile to the northwest of Standlake is the hamlet of Brighthampton, centred around the junction of the A415 with the B4449. Nowadays it is difficult to define where Standlake ends and Brighthampton begins as the A415 appears to be built up all the way along.

Just to the north of Brighthampton is Standlake Arena where banger race meetings are held on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.