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Oxfordshire - Castles, Cathedrals,
Monuments,
Stately Homes & Palaces
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Since the stone age, man has been
creating majestic structures that we still marvel at
today.
Whether you are interested in ancient monuments,
battlefield sites, re-enactments,
Roman and Norman forts and castles, Stately Homes, Country Houses, Historic
Cathedrals, Ruined Abbeys etc, this is the page that
should give you the information you need.
Here we try to list properties in
private ownership but open to the public (even if only
occasionally) as well as those in the care of the
National Trust or English/Scottish Heritage.
We know that not all the
properties in Oxfordshire are listed.
Please help us
make this guide comprehensive by giving details of
missing attractions
here
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SAXON TOWER OF ST MICHAEL
AT THE NORTHGATE CHURCH
Cornmarket Street, Oxford, OX1 3EY
Tel: 01865 240940
The Saxon Tower of St Michael at the North Gate.
Oxford's oldest building, this 11th-century
tower provides an excellent viewpoint over the
city. The designer William Morris was married
here and John Wesley preached here.
Shakespeare's font, Wesley pulpit.
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Great Coxwell Barn
Great Coxwell, Faringdon, Oxfordshire
Tel: 01793 762209 (Coleshill Estate
office)
E-mail:
greatcoxwellbarn@nationaltrust.org.uk
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13th-century stone barn.
This large monastic barn has a stone-tiled
roof and interesting timber structure. |
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Great Coxwell Barn - Photo:
Jon S
CCL |
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Carfax Tower
Carfax, Oxford
Tel: 01865 792653
The tower of the 14th-century church of St
Martin, with its 'quarter boys' clock, stands at
the busy crossroads known as Carfax. Climb the
99 steps for extensive views over the city from
the top of the tower.
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Priory Cottages
1 Mill Street, Steventon, Abingdon, OX13 6SP
Tel: 01793 762209 (Coleshill Estate
office)
E-mail:
priorycottages@nationaltrust.org.uk
Former monastic buildings, now converted into
two houses. South Cottage contains the Great
Hall of the original priory.
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HIDDEN CHURCHES OF...
Oxfordshire
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Church of St. Mary - Photo:
David Hawgood
CCL |
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In north Oxfordshire, you'll find some of its
finest churches, built predominantly from the
golden brown marlstone of the English
Midlands.
The two medieval churches, both called St
Mary, in neighbouring towns Adderbury and
Bloxham, compete with each other in terms of
the splendour, intricacy, and sometimes
eccentricity of their stone carvings.
More... |
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Christ Church Cathedral
Tel: 01865 276150 Fax:
01865 286588
E-mail:
tourism@chch.ox.ac.uk
Web:
www.chch.ox.ac.uk
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Christ Church is
open for visiting every day except
Christmas day.
Christ Church is a working establishment
and areas may close without notice.
The Hall is usually closed for lunch
between 12pm and 2pm.
The Cathedral closes for Choir Practice
every day at 4:45pm .
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University Church of St
Mary the Virgin
High Street, Oxford
Tel: 01865 279111
E-mail:
brian.mountford@oriel.ox.ac.uk
Web:
www.university-church.ox.ac.uk
Built in 1280, this historic university and
parish church once housed Oxford University's
reference library and was used for degree
ceremonies and to conduct other university
business. In 1555-56 it was also the scene of
heresy trials of the bishops Latimer, Ridley and
Cranmer, who were burnt at the stake in Broad
Street. From the 90-foot tower an external
gallery gives marvellous views over the heart of
the city.
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New College Chapel
New College Lane
Tel: 01865 279555 Fax:
01865 279590
E-mail:
barbara.vardag@new.ox.ac.uk
Web:
www.new.ox.ac.uk
Weekdays: 6pm (except Wednesdays). Saturday and
Sunday: 6.15pm (during term).
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New Road Baptist Church
Bonn Square, Oxford
Tel: 01865 798235
E-mail:
Simon Carver
Web:
www.newroadbaptistchurchoxford.co.uk
Sunday: services 10.30am
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Oxford Synagogue
21 Richmond Road, Oxford
Tel: 01865 553042
E-mail:
enquiries@synagogue.org.uk
Web:
www.oxford-synagogue.org.uk
Centre for the Jewish community in Oxford.
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St. Aldate's
40 Pembroke Street, Oxford, OX11BP
Tel: 01865 254800 Fax: 01865
201543
E-mail:
office@staldates.org.uk
Web:
www.staldates.org.uk
Sunday: 8am, 10.30am, 6.30pm
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St. Mary Magdalen
Magdalen Street, Oxford
College: 01865 277833 Vicarage:
01865 247836
E-mail:
wglmartin@aol.com
Web:
www.stmarymagdalenoxford.org.uk
Sunday: Barn 10.30am - 5.30pm - 6.00pm
Weekdays: 11.15am - 6.15pm
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Wesley Memorial Church
New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, OX1 2DH
Tel: 01865 243216 Fax:
01865 247706
E-mail:
churchoffice@wesleymem.org.uk
Web:
www.wesleymem.org.uk
Sunday: 10.30am, 6.30pm
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MAPLEDURHAM HOUSE AND
WATERMILL
The Estate Office, Mapledurham, Reading, RG4
7TR
Tel: 0118 972 3350 Fax:
0118 972 4016
E-mail:
enquiries@mapledurham.co.uk
Web:
www.mapledurham.co.uk
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Mapledurham House and Watermill nestle
snugly along side the river Thames in
South Oxfordshire. The house is
Elizabethan and has been the family home
of the Blounts for over 500 years. |
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Visitors to the house will see a collections of
portraits and paintings, original ceilings, grand
oak staircases and the beautiful chapel decorated
in Strawberry Hill Gothick.
The watermill is the last remaining on the river
Thames and still produces flour which is available
(together with its by products) for in the well
stocked gift shop. Cream teas, made from the flour
milled in the watermill, are available together
with a selection of delicious cakes.
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We open on Saturdays,
Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter
until the end of September. For full
details please call
0118 9723350 or visit
www.mapledurham.co.uk |
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UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD BOTANIC
GARDEN
Botanic Gardens, High St, Oxford, OX1 4AZ
Tel: 01865 286690
Fax: 01865 286693
E-mail:
postmaster@botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk
Web site:
www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk
Welcome to the
University of Oxford Botanic Garden. We are
often asked how a botanic garden differs from
other types of gardens. Botanic gardens are
collections of plants that are grown for
purposes other than purely aesthetic reasons but
in Oxford Botanic Garden we do try to arrange
the plants in attractive, sympathetic and
exciting ways.
Many gardeners come here to
seek inspiration. In the beds and borders you
may find new plants that would be perfect in
your garden at home and partly for this reason
we strive to label clearly every plant in the
Garden. Plants are grown in this Garden to
support our teaching programmes, for research
scientists in this University and elsewhere and
as part of plant conservation projects.
Furthermore this Garden is a national reference
collection of 7,000 different types of plant,
making it the most compact yet diverse
collection of plants in the World there is even
more biological diversity here than there is in
tropical rain forests and other biodiversity
hotspots. The Garden consists of three sections.
The Glasshouses contain
plants that need protection from the extremes of
the British weather. The area outside the Walled
Garden contains classic garden features such as
a Water Garden and Rock Garden as well as the
innovative Black Border and Autumn Borders.
Within the Walled Garden plants are grouped in a
number of different ways such as by country of
origin, botanic family or economic use.
For further details on the Botanic Gardens in
Oxford see our website.
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Buscot Old Parsonage
Buscot, Faringdon, SN7 8DQ
Tel: 01793 762209 (Coleshill Estate
office)
E-mail:
buscot@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Early 18th-century house.
Built in 1703 of Cotswold stone, the house is
set on the banks of the Thames and has a small
garden. |
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National Trust village of Buscot -
Photo:
Jonathan Billinger
CCL |
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Buscot Park
Estate Office, Buscot
Park, Faringdon, SN7 8BU
Tel: 0845 345 3387 (Infoline) 01367 240786
(Estate office) Fax: 01367 241794
E-mail:
estbuscot@aol.com
Web:
www.buscot-park.com
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Buscot Park - Photo:
Andrew Longton
CCL |
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Neo-classical mansion with fine art and
furniture collection, set in landscaped
grounds.
The late 18th-century house contains the fine
paintings and furniture of the Faringdon
Collection Trust.
The grounds include various avenue walks, an
Italianate water garden, designed in the early
20th century by Harold Peto, and a large
walled garden. |
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Greys Court
Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 4PG
Tel: 01491 628529 Fax: 01491
628935
E-mail:
greyscourt@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Intriguing house with a
tranquil garden.
This picturesque house, mainly Tudor in style,
has a beautiful courtyard and one surviving
tower dating from 1347.
The house has an interesting history and was
involved in Jacobean court intrigue.
It has been the home of the Brunner family
since the 1930s and the interior, with some
outstanding 18th-century plasterwork, is still
furnished as a family home. |
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Greys Court -
Photo:
Dennis Jackson
CCL |
Outside are a
Tudor
wheelhouse,
walled gardens
full of
old-fashioned
roses and
wisteria, and an
ornamental
vegetable
garden.
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Blenheim Palace
Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PX
Tel: 01993 811325
E-mail:
operations@blenheimpalace.com
Web:
www.blenheimpalace.com
Ancestral stately home of the 11th Duke of
Marlborough. The Palace was designed and built
by Sir John Vanbrugh, and the park by Capability
Brown, on a grand scale. Birthplace of Sir
Winston Churchill, who is buried in nearby
Bladon. Fabulous tapestries (on the Woodstock
textile trail), porcelain and pictures.
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Stonor Park
Stonor, Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6HF
Tel: 01491 638587 Fax:
01491 638587
E-mail:
jweaver@stonor.com
Web:
www.stonor.com
Historic home of Lord and Lady Camoys and the
Stonor family for over 800 years. The house is
surrounded by a wooded deer park in a valley in
the Chiltern Hills. With its origins in the 12th
century the house has architectural features of
medieval Tudor and Georgian periods now with a
warm red brick facade. The ancient family
catholic chapel is situated alongside near the
site of a pre-historic stone circle. To the rear
of the house a hillside walled garden affords
commanding views of the deer park. Inside on
display are many items of rare furniture,
sculptures, bronzes, paintings and family
portraits from Britain, Europe and the USA. The
family's catholic roots are evident and an
exhibition within the house features the life
and work of St Edmund Campion.
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Farnborough Hall
Farnborough, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 1DU
Tel: 01295 690002
E-mail:
enquiries@thenationaltrust.org.uk
Web:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Farnborough Hall in Banbury is a beautiful
honey-coloured stone house, built in the
mid-18th century and the home of the Holbech
family for over 300 years. With charming grounds
containing temples, a terrace walk and an
obelisk.
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Nuffield Place
Huntercombe, Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9
5RY
Tel: 01491 641224
E-mail:
davidhaenlein@lineone.net
Web:
www.nuffield-place.com
From 1933 to 1963, Nuffield Place was the home
of William Morris, Lord Nuffield. Built in 1914,
it was enlarged in 1933 for Lord Nuffield, and
is a rare survival of a complete, upper-middle
class home of the 1930s. It retains the majority
of the furniture and contents acquired by Lord
and Lady Nuffield when they took up residence,
as well as having several rooms still decorated
in the 1930's style. Clocks, rugs and tapestries
are of fine quality. Some furniture is antique,
but much was custom-made by Cecil A Halliday of
Oxford, and is of skilled craftsmanship. The
beautiful four-acre gardens with mature trees,
yew hedges, rose pergola and rockery were laid
out during and just after the First World War.
Nuffield Place is open to the public with the
kind permission of the Warden of Nuffield
College by the Friends of Nuffield Place.
Amenities include: Ample Free Car Parking,
Toilets, Home Made Teas, Limited Access for
Disabled Visitors.
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Kingston Bagpuize House
Kingston Bagpuize, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13
5AX
Tel: 01865 820259 Fax:
01865 821659
E-mail:
kingstonbagpuizehouse@btopenworld.com
Web:
www.kingstonbagpuizehouse.org.uk
Beautiful 1660s Manor House remodelled in early
1700s in red brick with stone facings.
Cantilevered staircase and finely proportioned
panelled rooms with some good furniture and
pictures. Set in mature parkland, the gardens
contain a notable collection of plants including
rare trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs.
Available for private functions and corporate
events.
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Upton House
Upton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX15 6HT
Tel: 01295 670266
E-mail:
uptonhouse@ntrust.org.uk
Web:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Built in 1695 of mellow local stone, this
beautiful house is renowned for the quality of
the collections it houses. Assembled this
century by the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, the son of
petroleum magnate Marcus Samuel (founder of
Shell), they include paintings by English and
Continental Old Masters, tapestries, porcelain,
Chelsea figures and fine 18th-century furniture.
The superb gardens descend in terraces from the
lawn into a deep valley and include herbaceous
borders, pools stocked with fish and an
interesting water garden from the 1930s. There
is an ongoing exhibition of paintings and
posters commissioned by Shell from 1921-39 when
the 2nd Viscount Bearsted was Chairman.
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Sulgrave Manor
Sulgrave, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 2SD
Tel: 01295 760205 Fax:
01295 768056
E-mail:
enquiries@sulgravemanor.org.uk
Web:
www.sulgravemanor.org.uk
Sulgrave Manor is a superb example of a modest
manor house and garden of the time of
Shakespeare and was home to the ancestors of
George Washington. In 1539 the manor was bought
by Lawrence Washington from Henry VIII and his
descendants were to live there for the next 120
years. In 1656, Lawrence Washington's
great-great grandson Colonel John Washington
left England to take up land in Virginia which
later became Mount Vernon. Col. Washington was
the great grandfather of George Washington,
first President of the United States of America.
In 1914, Sulgrave Manor was presented by a body
of British subscribers to the Peoples of Great
Britain and the United States of America in
celebration of the Hundred Years Peace between
the two nations. In 1924 the National Society of
the Colonial Dames of America generously endowed
the Manor House and still co-operates with the
Board in its upkeep. The Manor stands as a
permanent reminder of the special relationship
between Britain and America, and today visitors
from all over the world, including many school
children, come to enjoy this beautiful Tudor
house set within the heart of a peaceful
Northamptonshire village.
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Milton Manor
Milton Manor House, High St, Milton, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire, OX14 4EN
Tel: 01235 862321
Milton Manor is a tall classically inspired
mid-17th century red-brick house. Milton Manor
stands on the edge of the village and the first
view of the house is across a lake. The main
block, dating from the 17th century, is five
bays wide and has three storeys and a basement
under a hipped roof. The main facades have Ionic
pilasters and further decoration is provided by
the white-painted eaves cornice. Each floor has
four rooms.
The Hall and Drawing Room are on the ground
floor of the entrance or east front. The Hall is
reached through screen opening off the passage
which divides the building. The Dining Room is
on the garden front, next to the staircase which
rises to the height of the house. Many of the
rooms were remodelled by Bryant Barrett in the
18th century but the carved wooden chimneypiece
in the Hall is contemporary with the original
house. The Drawing Room has a plaster ceiling,
with oak and laurel wreaths, which is also
original. The Library situated in the south wing
is a larger 18th century room decorated with a
plaster frieze and cornice. The Gothic windows
and bookcases were carved by Richard Lawrence of
London and are surmounted by ogee arches. Items
from the family's collection of late-18th and
19th century English porcelain are now displayed
in the Gothic bookcases. Over the fireplace is a
group portrait of Bryant Barrett, with his wife
and brother-in-law by Joseph Highmore. The
Gothic Chapel was dedicated in 1773. The windows
contain medieval English and 17th century
Flemish stained glass. Some of the Mass
vestments date from 1760. The grounds
surrounding Milton Manor House were laid out
when the house was remodelled by Bryant Barrett
in the 18th century. The park has some fine old
trees and there are two lakes. There is also a
walled garden and stables. Pony rides and shire
horse cart rides are often available and other
animals to be seen include rare-breed pigs and
llamas.
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