Local Information & Links.....
Witney
Since the Middle Ages Witney was famous for the manufacturing of blankets using water from the River Windrush which, so the story goes, was the secret of their quality. Over recent years Witney has grown rapidly into a thriving and vibrant place to live, yet still manages to retain its charm as an attractive Cotswold Market Town.
The Market Square which lies at the junction of the two main streets contains the Buttercross, a medieval marketing & meeting place. It has a steeply gabled roof surmounted by a clock turret added in 1683. Opposite is the 17th C. Town Hall. Market Square widens into the picturesque Church Green which is dominated by the 13th C. Church of St. Mary.
Witney Town Centre has been sympathetically developed in more recent years and now boasts a wide range of thriving local businesses alongside the wider known high street names. Marriotts Walk opened in October 2009 as an extension to the Town Centre. The development brings 143 new homes, a free multi-storey car park, High Street names such as M & S, Debenhams, New Look & Wallis and a 5 screen cinema. There are a vast selection of good quality Restaurants catering for all tastes, excellent local Pubs, several Primary Schools, Wood Green & Henry Box Secondary Schools and the Abingdon & Witney College of further education. A regular bus service runs 7 days a week into Oxford, some 12 miles distant, which has a direct rail link to London Paddington. The A40, A420, A34 and the M4 & M40 Motorways are all easily accessible.
Eynsham
Eynsham is a lovely West Oxfordshire village, a real hidden jewel lying at an important crossing of the River Thames, midway between Witney & Oxford and within a stones throw of the A40. Eynsham's recorded history goes back to Saxon Times with the former Abbey dating back to 1005. Sadly this was destroyed although pieces from the Abbey are rumoured to be found in various period properties in the village!
Eynsham has a fantastic range of facilities which include a modern Health Centre, Library, Post Office, three Churches, Primary School and the reputable Bartholomew Secondary School with a recently constructed public Gym on the site. A sprinkling of successful local businesses include a Delicatessen, Butcher, Sandwich/Coffee bars, the Eynsham Emporium, Co-op & Spa, two Newsagents and Electrical shop. There are a selection of Pubs and places to eat and a superb bus service running 7 days a week at regular intervals into Oxford & Witney, each some 6 miles distant. The village has immense character and a welcoming community with numerous active local clubs & organisations.
Bampton
Bampton lies some 5 miles south of Witney and is one of the oldest and prettiest villages close to the edge of the Cotswolds. Officially a 'small town', Bampton boasts a great selection of amenities for its size that include a post office, bank, library, butcher, hardware shop, convenience store, two churches, a primary school and a handful of Pubs.
Bampton, which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, origianlly gained a reputation for glove making and leather tanning, and has many traditions which enhance its unique charm and appeal. The Great Shirt Race which takes place on Whitsun every year, sees contestants propel each other across the town clad in night shirts while on the Monday of the Whitsun bank holiday Morris dancers from across the globe converge on Bampton to commence dancing at 7am in pubs, streets and gardens across the town.
Abbey Properties - Useful Local Links
