Woodstock, Oxfordshire

Woodstock
Woodstock town centre
Woodstock is located in Oxfordshire
Woodstock
Woodstock
Location within Oxfordshire
Population3,100 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSP4416
• London62 miles (100 km)
Civil parish
  • Woodstock
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWoodstock
Postcode districtOX20
Dialling code01993
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteWoodstock Town Council
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
51°50′52″N 1°21′15″W / 51.84778°N 1.35417°W / 51.84778; -1.35417

Woodstock is a market town and civil parish, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Oxford in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 3,100.[1]

Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is next to Woodstock, in the parish of Blenheim. Winston Churchill was born in the palace in 1874 and buried in the nearby village of Bladon. Edward, elder son of King Edward III and heir apparent, was born in Woodstock Manor on 15 June 1330. In his lifetime he was commonly called Edward of Woodstock, but is known today as the Black Prince. In the reign of Queen Mary I, her half-sister Elizabeth was imprisoned in the gatehouse of Woodstock Manor.

The River Glyme, in a steep valley, divides the town into New and Old Woodstock.[2] The town had two main suburbs: Hensington to the south and east of the town centre, and Old Woodstock to the north. Woodstock Town Hall was built in 1766 to designs by Sir William Chambers.[3] The almshouses were built in 1798 on behalf of Caroline, duchess of Marlborough. Chaucer's House was once home to Chancellor of England, Thomas Chaucer, thought to be the son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.[4]

The Church of England parish church of St Mary Magdalene has a Norman doorway.[5] The church has a turret clock that John Briant of Hertford made in 1792.[6] The parish is now part of the Benefice of Blenheim, which also includes Begbroke, Bladon, Shipton-on-Cherwell and Yarnton.[7] The Oxfordshire Museum, the county museum of Oxfordshire, occupies a large historic house, Fletcher's House, in the centre of Woodstock. The museum has a garden containing works of art and a Dinosaur Garden with a full-size replica of a Megalosaurus.[8] Both the primary school and The Marlborough School, the secondary school, are in Shipton Road. There is nursery provision through WUFA (Woodstock Under Fives Association).[9] Oxford School of Drama is at Sansom's Farm, in the north of Woodstock parish.[10] The current[when?] Mayor of the Town is John Banbury.[11]

  1. ^ "Area: Woodstock (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  2. ^ Chisholm 1911.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Town Hall (1203847)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Chaucer's House (1262222)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  5. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 856.
  6. ^ Beeson 1989, pp. 24, 73.
  7. ^ Archbishops' Council (2015). "Benefice of Blenheim". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Dinosaur footprints go on display". BBC News. 10 May 2009.
  9. ^ "playgroup woodstock playgroup witney playgroup charlbury wufa woodstock under fives association".
  10. ^ "Oxford School of Drama".
  11. ^ "Council Members – Woodstock Town Council".