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Charlbury

Charlbury, Oxfordshire is a small Cotswolds town in the Evenlode Valley, situated between Woodstock and Chipping Norton.

The Town

Jacobean Drinking Fountain, Playing Close, Charlbury

The town was famous for centuries as a centre for the manufacture of gloves, an industry which employed over a thousand people at it's peak during the 19th century and continued into the 20th century finally ceasing in the 1960's.

Its is possible that Charlbury was originally Saxon and the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, would seem to bear this out with its association with Saint Diuma, the first Bishop of Mercia who died in AD658.

Charlbury Museum, Charlbury The town has remained much the same as a century or more ago and still retains much of its heritage. The town has few shop's but what there are includes a pharmacy, grocery, butcher, bookshop, post office and newsagent. A small supermarket has recently opened near Spendlove car-park.

Charlbury museum is next to the Market House and has many interesting artefacts from the town and surrounding area. The town also has Methodist and Baptist chapels a Roman Catholic church and Friends' Meeting House along with the parish church. Other places of interest locally includes Lee Place, the former Dower House at Ditchley Park, which has close associations with Winston Churchill and is now the summer home of the Duke of Marlborough. Unfortunately the property is not open to the public. Close by is Cornbury Park, a splendid 600 acre deer park and part of the former Wychwood Forest. The estate and 17th century house is owned by Lord Rotherwick.

Getting Here

The town is on the B4437 between Chipping Norton and Witney

Bus services connecting to Charlbury are:

5 Chadlington-Moreton In Marsh Bakers Commercial Services
69 Charlbury-Witney, Chipping Norton-Witney & Enstone-Witney
Worths Coaches
20 Oxford-Enstone Stagecoach Oxford
71 Banbury-Charlbury Worths Coaches
C1 Shipton Under Wychwood-Charlbury R H Transport Services

Rail

Charlbury Railway Station is one of few along the Cotswold railway line & was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Trains link the town with Oxford, London & Evesham with services operated by First Great Western Link.