Wroxton is a village and civil parish in the north of

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 ...

about west of Banbury. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 546.

Wroxton Abbey

Wroxton Abbey is a Jacobean

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

on the site of a former

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

priory. Since 1965 Wroxton Abbey has been home to Fairleigh Dickinson University. The Wroxton Abbey grounds are open to the public although during 2020 and much of 2021 they were closed due to risk of falling timber. On 3 September 2021 the grounds re-opened.

Churches

Church of England

Wroxton is recorded as having a church in 1217, but the present

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 All Saints is early 14th century. A

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 ...

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

and porch were added early in the 15th century. The west tower was designed by Sanderson Miller and in 1748, paid for by Lord North, who owned Wroxton Abbey. All Saints' is a Grade II* listed building. The tower has a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

of five bells, all cast by Henry I Bagley of Chacombe in 1676. All Saints' is now one of eight neighbouring parishes in the

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 ...

of Ironstone. It is the final resting place of Lord North, who was

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...

from 1770 to 1782 and led Britain through most of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Roman Catholic

The Roman Catholic church of

Saint Thomas of Canterbury Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

was built in 1894. It is unusual in having a thatched roof.

Methodist

Goodman

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

was built in 1935 and was a member of Banbury Methodist Circuit. It is now a private house.

Ley line

Wroxton is on a Ley_line between

Rollright_Stones The Rollright Stones are a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments near the village of Long Compton, on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. Constructed from local oolitic limestone, the three monuments, now known ...

and

Chipping_Warden Chipping Warden is a village in Northamptonshire, England about northeast of the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Cherwell, to the west by the boundary with Oxfordshire and to the north by f ...

Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway

An ironstone quarry northwest of the village was opened in 1917 and worked heavily in the Second World War. It had its own railway, the

Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway The Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway was a standard-gauge mineral railway that served an ironstone quarry near the village of Wroxton in Oxfordshire. The line's history The OIR linked the quarry with the Great Western Railway about to the east a ...

, that linked it to the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

near Banbury. The quarry and its railway closed in 1967. A newer quarry close by is now served by road transport only.

Amenities

Wroxton has a hotel and two public houses, both public houses are closed and one is currently for sale. The North Arms in Mills Lane, named after Lord North, is 17th-century with a 19th-century extension. It was controlled by Greene King Brewery. Wroxton Abbey who were fundraising to restore the pub abandoned their plans in February 2021 citing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The White Horse in Stratford Road is mid-18th-century. Its proprietors state it was built in 1730 and has been licensed as a pub since 1756. The Wroxton House Hotel is also in Stratford Road. It is formed from four cottages, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. It is operated by Best Western. Wroxton Church of England Primary School is in Lampitts Green.Wroxton C of E Primary School
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References

Sources and further reading

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External links

Wroxton Village Web Site

360° Panorama of Church interiors
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire Cherwell District