Bladon is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

on the

River Glyme A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wa ...

about northwest of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, England, notable as the burial place of

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 898.

Places of worship

St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church was originally 11th or 12th century, and its south porch had a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

doorway. However, the old church was demolished in 1802 and a new building completed in 1804. This in turn was completely rebuilt in 1891 to designs by the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architect A.W. Blomfield. The parish of St Martin's includes

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace (pronounced ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non- episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, on ...

, the family seat of the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

. Most members of the Spencer-Churchill family are interred in St. Martin's parish churchyard at Bladon; only the Dukes and Duchesses are buried in the Blenheim Palace chapel. Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940–45 and again 1951–55. Like his parents, he was buried in St. Martin's parish churchyard after his death, in 1965; his wife

Clementine A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who fir ...

was buried in the same grave after her death 12 years later.

Methodist church

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

congregation was established in Bladon by 1820 and built its first chapel in 1843. In 1877, a new chapel was built copying the

Early English style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

of the 13th century. It is now Bladon Methodist Church and belongs to the Oxford Methodist Circuit.

School

In 1858 the Duchess of Marlborough, wife of the 7th Duke, provided a new

building to found a school in Bladon. The building was enlarged in 1890. It was known as the Duchess of Marlborough's school, but in 1937 its ownership was transferred from the Duchy of Marlborough to Bladon parochial church council. In 1940 it was reorganised as a junior school, with most senior pupils from Bladon thereafter going to secondary school in Woodstock. Since 1954 the school has been a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

primary school.Bladon Church of England Primary School
/ref>

Amenities

Bladon has one

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the White House, which is now owned by the community and run by local Landlord Johnny Roberts.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Churchill's Funeral Order of Service - UK Parliament Living Heritage
{{authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire District