BRITAIN'S best PICTURESQUE town
Woodstock town is a collection of easy-to-explore historic, honey-coloured streets as lovely as any found in the Cotswolds. Wander in and out of interesting boutiques, unique art galleries and antique shops. The Oxfordshire Museum in the heart of town tells the story of the ancient county, it’s natural history, Roman developments and archaeological sites. When you’re ready for a break, enjoy eclectic food choices in one of the many tearooms, coffee shops, pubs or high-end restaurants.
Located just eight miles north of Oxford, Woodstock is ideally situated for visiting the great academic city, but also for visiting many other sites of interest, including Rousham House and Gardens, the ethereal abandoned village of Hampton Gay , and even a Roman Villa.
Located just eight miles north of Oxford, Woodstock is ideally situated for visiting the great academic city, but also for visiting many other sites of interest, including Rousham House and Gardens, the ethereal abandoned village of Hampton Gay , and even a Roman Villa.
history of woodstock
Woodstock, an old English word meaning “clearing in the woods,” grew up as a coach stop on the road north. The Domesday Book of 1086 describes it as a royal forest and English kings would often lodge in the area. In fact, one of the most historic businesses in town today, the Bear Hotel, was providing refuge to travellers as far back as the 13th century when it was built as a coaching inn. The town is draped in history. Henry I kept a menagerie in the park, and Woodstock was the scene of King Henry II's courtship of Rosumound Clifford.
Elizabeth I, then just a princess, was held captive for her own safety in Woodstock for about a year in 1554 when there was an uprising to depose Queen Mary I. The young princess lived in a lodge on what is now the Blenheim estate, for Woodstock Manor , the grand house on the site dating back to the early 12th century, was in such a state of disrepair it was uninhabitable. When Queen Anne gifted the estate in the early 1700s to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in gratitude for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim , she committed to fund the building of what is now Blenheim Palace to replace the crumbling Manor.
The town’s most famous historical connection is to Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, spent much of his boyhood there, and today, lies at rest in Woodstock’s neighbouring village, Bladon, in a modest, family plot situated in St. Martin’s churchyard
Elizabeth I, then just a princess, was held captive for her own safety in Woodstock for about a year in 1554 when there was an uprising to depose Queen Mary I. The young princess lived in a lodge on what is now the Blenheim estate, for Woodstock Manor , the grand house on the site dating back to the early 12th century, was in such a state of disrepair it was uninhabitable. When Queen Anne gifted the estate in the early 1700s to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in gratitude for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim , she committed to fund the building of what is now Blenheim Palace to replace the crumbling Manor.
The town’s most famous historical connection is to Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, spent much of his boyhood there, and today, lies at rest in Woodstock’s neighbouring village, Bladon, in a modest, family plot situated in St. Martin’s churchyard