ABOUT GREAT COXWELL
History and Geography This ancient place probably takes its name from the ‘holy’ well or stream rising to the south of the sister village of Little Coxwell. Great Coxwell and Little Coxwell may originally have comprised one settlement although they were separate entities by Domesday in the 11th century and are physically separated today by the A420 road. Great Coxwell village is situated towards the south-east of the parish and is rich in historic buildings, vernacular styles and local materials, with much of the built-up area in a Conservation Area.
The Prehistoric hillfort known as Badbury Clump is Great Coxwell’s earliest monument. In the centre of the parish at its highest point, it was created to oversee and protect a landscape of scattered Early to Middle Iron Age homesteads, at least one of which was situated at the ancient southern end of the village, where Iron Age pottery has been found. The western Vale of the White Horse, the western end of the Berkshire Downs, the upper Thames Valley and the Cotswolds can be see from the fort, into which cattle and other livestock would have been driven in times of threat. The National Trust owns and manages Badbury Clump and the ancient woodland surrounding it to the south-west and north-west, with public access, information and footpaths.
The Cock Well Great and Little Coxwell are mentioned separately in Domesday Book and had become divided by Late Saxon times. But in earlier Saxon times they must have formed two parts of one manor called after the spring, probably one of the county’s many holy wells, still to be seen south of Little Coxwell. The origin of the name is obscure and possibly British.
The Stream and Holloway A (nameless) stream, a tributary of the River Cole, runs south from Badbury Clump. Where the hill slope flattens the village grew up on the east side of this stream. Parallel to it an ancient hollow way, still well-preserved, gave access by foot to the early village.
The situation of St Giles Church, on an outcrop of the Corallian ridge overlooking the western Vale and the Downs, suggests an earlier use of the site; perhaps there was an earlier, timber church here. The present church was built in the late 12th century and is little changed.
Earliest village and East Field The (nameless) village street, the only village thoroughfare before modern times, narrows and curves around the Corallian outcrop below the church. This is the oldest preserved part of the village, with a village pump on a tiny green in front of one of the houses.
The Great Barn at the north end of the village is a Grade One listed and scheduled monument of national importance. It was built in the 13th century to store the grain belonging to a thriving 13th-century estate that once supported Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire. Many of the villagers would have worked in the grange’s fields for the Cistercian monks. The adjacent 16th-century and later Court House may incorporate remains of the medieval grange. The Barn was loved by William Morris, who brought his guests to wonder at the structure, calling it 'unapproachable in its dignity'.
History and Geography This ancient place probably takes its name from the ‘holy’ well or stream rising to the south of the sister village of Little Coxwell. Great Coxwell and Little Coxwell may originally have comprised one settlement although they were separate entities by Domesday in the 11th century and are physically separated today by the A420 road. Great Coxwell village is situated towards the south-east of the parish and is rich in historic buildings, vernacular styles and local materials, with much of the built-up area in a Conservation Area.
The Prehistoric hillfort known as Badbury Clump is Great Coxwell’s earliest monument. In the centre of the parish at its highest point, it was created to oversee and protect a landscape of scattered Early to Middle Iron Age homesteads, at least one of which was situated at the ancient southern end of the village, where Iron Age pottery has been found. The western Vale of the White Horse, the western end of the Berkshire Downs, the upper Thames Valley and the Cotswolds can be see from the fort, into which cattle and other livestock would have been driven in times of threat. The National Trust owns and manages Badbury Clump and the ancient woodland surrounding it to the south-west and north-west, with public access, information and footpaths.
The Cock Well Great and Little Coxwell are mentioned separately in Domesday Book and had become divided by Late Saxon times. But in earlier Saxon times they must have formed two parts of one manor called after the spring, probably one of the county’s many holy wells, still to be seen south of Little Coxwell. The origin of the name is obscure and possibly British.
The Stream and Holloway A (nameless) stream, a tributary of the River Cole, runs south from Badbury Clump. Where the hill slope flattens the village grew up on the east side of this stream. Parallel to it an ancient hollow way, still well-preserved, gave access by foot to the early village.
The situation of St Giles Church, on an outcrop of the Corallian ridge overlooking the western Vale and the Downs, suggests an earlier use of the site; perhaps there was an earlier, timber church here. The present church was built in the late 12th century and is little changed.
Earliest village and East Field The (nameless) village street, the only village thoroughfare before modern times, narrows and curves around the Corallian outcrop below the church. This is the oldest preserved part of the village, with a village pump on a tiny green in front of one of the houses.
The Great Barn at the north end of the village is a Grade One listed and scheduled monument of national importance. It was built in the 13th century to store the grain belonging to a thriving 13th-century estate that once supported Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire. Many of the villagers would have worked in the grange’s fields for the Cistercian monks. The adjacent 16th-century and later Court House may incorporate remains of the medieval grange. The Barn was loved by William Morris, who brought his guests to wonder at the structure, calling it 'unapproachable in its dignity'.
Facilities
Village website – https://www.greatcoxwell.com
Village email newsletter - We send out emails about events in the village. If you would like to be on the village email list please click here to subscribe. The email list is kept confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time. Notice Boards – Parish council and community notice boards are located in front of the village Reading Room. Items to be put on the community board can be sent to [email protected] Post box – Situated by the Puddleduck Lane junction Bins - emptied on Mondays. Black landfill bins collection alternates with green recycling bins. Brown bin (garden waste) is an optional paid for addition that is collected on the same weeks as the recycling. See the Vale of the white horse website for more details https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk Reading Room – This is the Great Coxwell parish room and is the main village meeting place managed by the Parish Council as trustees. Further information including current hire prices and a booking form can be found at here Contact: [email protected] Defibrillator – attached to the front of the Reading Room. This unit was funded and is maintained by volunteers. It is registered with the Ambulance Service since and is on their records as being ‘rescue ready’. It is also registered on the National Defibrillator Network ‘The Circuit’ (https://www.thecircuit.uk) The Village Park – Set up by a group of village volunteers as a doorstep green with lottery funding and now run by the Parish Council. Open to all from dawn to dusk but no dogs. Contact [email protected] . Book exchange – A K6 telephone box is owned by the village and is used as a book exchange. The Great Barn – Owned by the National Trust, Coleshill Estate, always open. St Giles Church – Open daily during daylight hours. A calendar of services with dates and times are posted on the church noticeboard and are also available at https://www.achurchnearyou.com. Organizes a range of other activities including children’s workshop, Vicarage garden party, Christmas Eve carol service in the Great Barn, Harvest lunch Reverend Maureen Turner is our vicar and lives in the village. Contact: [email protected] tel. 01367 240875 St Giles Contemplation Garden – An area of the churchyard beyond the burial ground developed and maintained by volunteers as a Contemplation and Remembrance Garden. Comprising wildflowers and native trees, it provides a special place of peace and contemplation for everyone. Transport
Bus - S6 service (run by Stagecoach) runs between Oxford and Swindon (A420). Bus stops are on the Coxwell Road by the roundabout below the A420 as you enter the village.
|
Parish Organisation and Groups
Parish Council - Meets in the Reading Room 5 to 6 times a year. Meeting agenda and minutes are on the notice boards outside the Reading Room and posted on the village website.
Contact Joanna Farrant [email protected]. All are welcome to attend. Great Coxwell WI - Meet on the second Tuesday of every month from September to July. We are an informal, friendly group who have good speakers and interesting outings. All women welcome. Contact [email protected]. Greener Great Coxwell – A Community Benefit Society consisting of a core group of 14 villagers meeting a few times a year, with a vision to help ourselves and others to decarbonise, nurture a sense of community, promote sharing not owning stuff, build community resourcefulness and resilience and to protect and connect to the natural world contact: [email protected] Regular Events
Coffee Morning - Every Wednesday 10.30 - 11.30 in the Reading Room. Run by Sylvia Athawes welcomes walkers and talkers, just drop in.
Village Teas - Organised by villagers to raise money for the Community Fund. Approximately once a month between April and September we turn the Reading room in to a cosy cafe serving homemade cakes, tea, coffee and juice. Look out for the signs advertising the event or keep an eye on facebook ‘Great Coxwell Teas’. Great Coxwell Artists - Show every year during Oxfordshire artweeks. They have a number of venues showing artwork spread about the village over two weekends. Contact Karen Vogt - [email protected] Faringdon and Vale
Faringdon Medical Centre – White Horse Medical Practice
(https://www.whmp.co.uk) tel: 01367 242388 Household waste recycling centre: Faringdon Rd, Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon SN7 8LD. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm Dentist Faringdon – Peter Walker Ass (private only) https://www.peterwalkerdental.co.uk tel: 01367 240514 Faringdon Tourist Information Centre – The Pump House, 5 Market Place, Faringdon SN7 7HL, tel: 01367 242191 www.faringdon.org/tourist-information.html Faringdon.org website –Has lots of info on what is going on in Faringdon. https://www.faringdon.org |