Wootton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about north-west of Abingdon. It was part of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to

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 ...

. The parish of Wootton includes the hamlets of Whitecross and Lamborough Hill and the western part of Boars Hill. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,709.

History

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of Saint Peter was built in the 14th century, from which time the Decorated Gothic east window of the chancel survives. In the 15th century the nave was rebuilt with

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...

windows. The south door and porch are 16th century and the chancel arch may have been rebuilt in the 18th century. Until the 19th century Wootton was part of the parish of Cumnor. The first vicar of Wootton was appointed in 1885. Wootton was united in a single

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

with St. Helen's,

Dry Sandford Dry Sandford is a village in the Vale of White Horse district of England, about north-west of Abingdon. It is one of two villages in the civil parish of St Helen Without. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred ...

in 2000. but once again became a single parish benefice in the Abingdon Deanery in 2018. The sculptor

Oscar Nemon Oscar Nemon (born Oscar Neumann; 13 March 1906 – 13 April 1985) was a Croatian sculptor who was born in Osijek, Croatia, but eventually settled in England. He is best known for his series of more than a dozen public statues of Winston Churchill, ...

(1906–85) and his son

Falcon Stuart Falcon Stuart (27 March 1941 – 27 February 2002) was a British photographer, retailer, filmmaker, manager and music producer associated with X-Ray Spex, Adam and the Ants, and Danielle Dax amongst others. Personal life Born in Oxford in 1941 as ...

(1941–2002) are buried in St Peter's churchyard.

Amenities

The village has a Church of England primary school. The village has a recently refurbished business park and two housing estates built between 1999 and 2009. There are a few shops in Wootton, including two convenience stores, a

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

, and a chip shop. There is also a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

, a bathroom shop, a carpet shop and Sign-a-Rama. Wootton's social amenities include the Bystander public house, and a community centre where various activities take place, such as local school fêtes and a local bingo. The post office used to be next to the fish and chip shop but closed in September 2008. Now the post office is inside the

Co-Operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

store. Some gardens in Wootton are part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS).

Sport

Wootton and Dry Sandford Football Club is based in the village. It was founded in 1946 and currently plays in Division 1 of the North Berks Football League.North Berks Football League
/ref> It is the current holder of the North Berks Cup.

References

Sources

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External links