Carterton, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Carterton is the second largest town in West Oxfordshire
and is about 2 miles (3 km) south of the A40 and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Witney
. The town is on the edge of the Thames Valley
and on the edge of the Cotswolds
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
. The land was then sold to William Carter, the director of a building company.
Carterton was denied electricity and running water for decades because Black Bourton Parish Council was in charge and they didn't like their poorer cousins.
Carterton was built about 1.25 miles (2 km) from The East Gloucestershire Railway
between and . The line had been built in 1873 and had subsequently been taken over by the Great Western Railway
. In 1944 the GWR opened station on the line. In 1962 British Rail
ways closed the line, including Carterton station.
Carterton's soil is highly suitable for growing tomatoes, something for which the town is noted. was carrying tomatoes from Carterton when it sank in 1912.
RAF Brize Norton
was established in 1937 between Carterton and the railway line. The airbase
's presence led Carterton to grow rapidly during the Second World War
. The Royal Air Force
is still one of the main employers in the area. The link with the air base also means that the population of Carterton continually fluctuates. There is also a significant proportion of retired RAF personnel living in the town. A new memorial garden has been built near the town to continue the public mourning seen at Royal Wootton Bassett as military repatriations for dead service personnel have now been routed to Brize Norton.
In the first decade of the 21st century the new Shilton Park district of northeast Carterton was built, providing a mix of housing for private ownership and social letting. The new St. John's Church of England
primary school has been built at Shilton Park and construction of a local shopping centre is now complete.
St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's are voluntary controlled schools.
Carterton Community College, the town's secondary school, is a specialist engineering college.
s: The Golden Eagle and the Beehive.
There is a public lending library in the town centre.
have recently opened in the town. West Oxfordshire Retail Park and a new business park are being built in the town. The Countryside Agency
has awarded Carterton Beacon Status for the work that the Fast Forward team is undertaking on the regeneration of the town centre.
Many houses in Carterton are due to be demolished and replaced with newer stock. These are MoD housing stock that have long outlived their expected life.
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
and is about 2 miles (3 km) south of the A40 and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
. The town is on the edge of the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
and on the edge of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
History
Until the early 20th century, the Carterton area was farmland and belonged to the parish of Black BourtonBlack Bourton
Black Bourton is a village and civil parish about south of Carterton, Oxfordshire. The village is on Black Bourton Brook, a tributary of the River Thames.-Churches:...
. The land was then sold to William Carter, the director of a building company.
Carterton was denied electricity and running water for decades because Black Bourton Parish Council was in charge and they didn't like their poorer cousins.
Carterton was built about 1.25 miles (2 km) from The East Gloucestershire Railway
Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
The Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway was a single track railway line, long, in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.-The Witney Railway:In 1849 a branch line was proposed from the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway at Wilcote near Charlbury via North Leigh to Witney, but the route was...
between and . The line had been built in 1873 and had subsequently been taken over by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. In 1944 the GWR opened station on the line. In 1962 British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the line, including Carterton station.
Carterton's soil is highly suitable for growing tomatoes, something for which the town is noted. was carrying tomatoes from Carterton when it sank in 1912.
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
was established in 1937 between Carterton and the railway line. The airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
's presence led Carterton to grow rapidly during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
is still one of the main employers in the area. The link with the air base also means that the population of Carterton continually fluctuates. There is also a significant proportion of retired RAF personnel living in the town. A new memorial garden has been built near the town to continue the public mourning seen at Royal Wootton Bassett as military repatriations for dead service personnel have now been routed to Brize Norton.
In the first decade of the 21st century the new Shilton Park district of northeast Carterton was built, providing a mix of housing for private ownership and social letting. The new St. John's Church of England
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
primary school has been built at Shilton Park and construction of a local shopping centre is now complete.
Education
Carterton has five primary schools:- Carterton Primary School,
- Edith Moorhouse Primary School,
- The Gateway Primary School,
- St. John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School and
- St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's are voluntary controlled schools.
Carterton Community College, the town's secondary school, is a specialist engineering college.
Amenities
Carterton has two public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s: The Golden Eagle and the Beehive.
There is a public lending library in the town centre.
Retail
There are a number of shops, two supermarkets and car parking in the town centre. There are plans to improve and expand the retail space in the centre and create more car parking. As a result new chains such as The Original Factory ShopThe Original Factory Shop
The Original Factory Shop is a discount department store that was established in 1969. It currently operates 170 + stores across the United Kingdom.- Operations:...
have recently opened in the town. West Oxfordshire Retail Park and a new business park are being built in the town. The Countryside Agency
Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
has awarded Carterton Beacon Status for the work that the Fast Forward team is undertaking on the regeneration of the town centre.
Housing
The town of Carterton has a varied mix of housing. The new development of Shilton Park has added many more houses to the current stock.Many houses in Carterton are due to be demolished and replaced with newer stock. These are MoD housing stock that have long outlived their expected life.