Villages of Oxfordshire: Woodstock

Woodstock is actually a small town, rather than a village, but it is very pretty and Jack and I had a pleasant, though bitterly cold, walk around it on Sunday. Woodstock was originally a coaching stop on the road North, but then grew to serve nearby enormous Blenheim Palace. Blenheim is famous for the Dukes of Marlborough who exerted a strong influence on British History. Winston churchill was also a member of the family, and was born there during a party his mother, Jenny, was attending.

It's obviously a wealthy town with many inns, antique shops and restaurants. On Sunday it was subdued, but the people we met on our walk were friendly.

A perfect tourist spot in the summer, I would think. Many buildings constructed from local Cotswold stone.

An inn and an antique shop next door to eachother. What more could you want? Some money to spend in them perhaps? LOL!

The town hall looks Georgian.

A gift shop, with original windows.

This is what you do with a Victorian drinking fountain! You plant it up.

The Baptist chapel we visited has an interesting history. When the first service was held in the town in 1794, a mob broke in and attacked the worshippers who were forced to flee. Several people were seriously injured. I only recently found out about this aspect of English history: anti-Baptistness. You took your life in your hands if you were a Non-Conformist back then.