Kidlington
Encyclopedia
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell
and the Oxford Canal
, 5 miles (8 km) north of Oxford
and 7.5 miles (12 km) southwest of Bicester
.
is derived from the Old English Cudelinga tun: the tun (settlement) of the "Kidlings" (sons) of Cydel-hence. The Domesday Book
in 1086 mentions Chedelintone and by 1214 the spelling Kedelinton appears in a Calendar of Bodleian Charters.
The Church of England parish church
of St. Mary the Virgin
is a grade one listed building dating from 1220 with fine medieval stained glass and a 220 feet (67.1 m) spire known as "Our Lady's Needle". The bell tower
has a peal
of eight bells. There is evidence of a church existing on the site from AD 1073. Behind the church there are archaeological remains of a three-sided moat, and a causeway has recently been discovered which is possibly of Roman origin. St. Mary's Rectory is Tudor.
Alongside the church is the almshouse
, built by Sir William Morton in 1671 in memory of his wife and children, whose names are inscribed above the windows. Sir William was a Royalist Commander during the Civil War
and lived in nearby Hampden Manor in Mill Street. Other famous residents of Hampden Manor include Sir John Vanbrugh
who lived here during the building of Blenheim Palace
in Woodstock
. The square tower water closet in the front garden of Hampden Manor was built by Vanbrugh. It drains into a brook that now runs underground along Mill Street into the nearby River Cherwell. Thomas Beecham
formulated his medicine whilst living in a cottage near the Manor, where he worked for a time as a gardener for John Sydenham.
The settlement listed in Domesday grew from an ancient village adjacent to the church. Here there are as many 18th century Georgian
buildings as modern houses. Until the Enclosure acts
in 1818, a large section south of the village was unenclosed common land, and the village was widely known as Kidlington-on-the-Green. Just prior to World War II
, this land was built up in an estate known as Garden City.
There was once a zoo in Kidlington where the Thames Valley Police
headquarters is now.
In the 1920s and 1930s Kidlington was subject to ribbon development
along the main (now A4260
) road through the village. Since 1945 many housing estates have been built behind this on both sides.
In the 20th century Kidlington grew to be a contender for largest village in England
(as well as Europe) with a population, including contiguous Gosford
and Water Eaton
(in Gosford and Water Eaton
parish), but not neighbouring Yarnton
or Begbroke
, of over 17,500 (compared to 1,300 in 1901). Kidlington residents have so far resisted proposals to become a town. Following a peremptory change by the Parish Council to Town status, the change was voted down in a ballot of the local electorate by 98%, and reversed.
and opened in 1852. The station was named Woodstock Road, although it was nearly 3 miles (5 km) from Woodstock
and less than 1 miles (1.6 km) from Kidlington. The Oxford and Rugby Railway was part of the Great Western Railway
, which in 1890 added a branch line to a new Blenheim and Woodstock railway station
at Woodstock and renamed Woodstock Road "Kidlington". British Rail
ways closed Kidlington railway station
in 1964. The station building remained in 1983. Speculation from the 1980s onwards was that a new station might be built on land between Flatford Place and Thorne Close on Lyne Road.
Oxford Road Halt
on the former Varsity Line
, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the centre of Kidlington, was opened by the London and North Western Railway
in 1905 and closed by its successor the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1926. Train operator Chiltern Railways
plans to build a new Water Eaton Parkway railway station
on the site of the former halt as part of its Project Evergreen3 development programme.
s are concentrated along the main A4260
road through the village. North to south these are: the Black Horse, the Black Bull, the Red Lion and the Squire Bassett (changed to the Dogwood after new management, but then later back to the Squire Bassett), as well as the King's Arms in the Moors, and the Six Bells in Mill Street.
The village is home to the headquarters of the Oxfordshire
Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police
, the county St. John Ambulance
, and the major European publishing company Elsevier
which has its UK head office here. Oxford Airport, renamed London Oxford Airport in 2009, is also in Kidlington; since 1962 it has had a pilot training school that has trained thousands of pilots for many airlines in over 40 countries. There are several industrial and business parks and a large motor park in the north of the village. Campsfield House
, one of ten Immigration Detention Centres run for the UK government, is also there.
There is a secondary school (Gosford Hill
) and a handful of primary schools to deal with the expanding population. Recently Gosford Hill School has started a narrowband radio show for its pupils called GHS Radio.
Kidlington has a Women's Institute.
headquarters is also based in the village.
Significant to the village's development is the existence of London Oxford Airport. Opposite the airport is the Langford Locks industrial development and Oxford Motor Park home to showrooms for brands such as: Honda
, Nissan and Toyota. Businesses such as Guylian Chocolates, Eurocopter and Moss Plastics all have a presence in the village.
Privately run prison Campsfield House
is controversially situated in the industrial area.
's Yarnton Road ground which is floodlit and has spectator terracing and seating for over 1 spectator. The football club has also played at other sites in or just outside the village.
Gosford All Blacks Rugby Football Club was founded in 1956. Despite its name, the club is based in Kidlington. Gosford's first team plays in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier League
. 2009/2010 oxfordshire shield finalists. WWW.GosfordRugby.Com TRAINING TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS 7-9 PM STRATFIELD BRAKE MATCHES ARE 2.30 / 3 kickoff on Saturday
Kidlington Cricket Club was founded in 1837 and used to play in the Oxford Times Cherwell Cricket League. However, in January 2009 the League voted to expel Kidlington CC for alleged rule breaches. As of the 2010 season, the club now plays in the Oxfordshire Cricket Association (OCA) league.
River Cherwell
The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...
and the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
, 5 miles (8 km) north of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and 7.5 miles (12 km) southwest of Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
.
History
Kidlington's toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
is derived from the Old English Cudelinga tun: the tun (settlement) of the "Kidlings" (sons) of Cydel-hence. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 mentions Chedelintone and by 1214 the spelling Kedelinton appears in a Calendar of Bodleian Charters.
The Church of England parish church
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 the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St. Mary the Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
is a grade one listed building dating from 1220 with fine medieval stained glass and a 220 feet (67.1 m) spire known as "Our Lady's Needle". The bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
has a peal
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of eight bells. There is evidence of a church existing on the site from AD 1073. Behind the church there are archaeological remains of a three-sided moat, and a causeway has recently been discovered which is possibly of Roman origin. St. Mary's Rectory is Tudor.
Alongside the church is the almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
, built by Sir William Morton in 1671 in memory of his wife and children, whose names are inscribed above the windows. Sir William was a Royalist Commander during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and lived in nearby Hampden Manor in Mill Street. Other famous residents of Hampden Manor include Sir John Vanbrugh
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
who lived here during the building of Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
in Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
. The square tower water closet in the front garden of Hampden Manor was built by Vanbrugh. It drains into a brook that now runs underground along Mill Street into the nearby River Cherwell. Thomas Beecham
Beecham (pharmaceutical company)
Beecham was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with SmithKline Beckman, merged with GlaxoWellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline .-History:...
formulated his medicine whilst living in a cottage near the Manor, where he worked for a time as a gardener for John Sydenham.
The settlement listed in Domesday grew from an ancient village adjacent to the church. Here there are as many 18th century Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
buildings as modern houses. Until the Enclosure acts
Inclosure Act
The Inclosure or Enclosure Acts were a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country. They removed previously existing rights of local people to carry out activities in these areas, such as cultivation, cutting hay, grazing animals or using...
in 1818, a large section south of the village was unenclosed common land, and the village was widely known as Kidlington-on-the-Green. Just prior to World War II
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...
, this land was built up in an estate known as Garden City.
There was once a zoo in Kidlington where the Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
headquarters is now.
In the 1920s and 1930s Kidlington was subject to ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
along the main (now A4260
A4260 road
The A4260 is a road that leads from the A422 Henneff Way, Banbury to Frieze Way near Oxford. It is single carriageway for a majority of the route, except for a section near Steeple Aston for and on Frieze Way where the A4260 meets the A34 at Peartree Interchange, Oxford, where it becomes a dual...
) road through the village. Since 1945 many housing estates have been built behind this on both sides.
In the 20th century Kidlington grew to be a contender for largest village in England
Largest village in England
Several places claim to be the largest village in England. This title is disputed as there is no standard definition of a village and size might be determined by population or area....
(as well as Europe) with a population, including contiguous Gosford
Gosford, Oxfordshire
Gosford is a hamlet immediately southeast of Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Gosford and Water Eaton.-History:...
and Water Eaton
Water Eaton
Water Eaton may refer to:*Water Eaton, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England*Water Eaton, Oxfordshire, England* Water Eaton , South Staffordshire, England...
(in Gosford and Water Eaton
Gosford and Water Eaton
Gosford and Water Eaton is a civil parish in the Cherwell district of the English county of Oxfordshire.It is north of the city of Oxford and is crossed nearby by two major roads for, or by-passing, the city....
parish), but not neighbouring Yarnton
Yarnton
Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford and southeast of Woodstock.-Archaeology:Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the parish...
or Begbroke
Begbroke
Begbroke is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford.The toponym "Begbroke" is Old English for "Little Brook". This refers to Rowel Brook which runs through the village and was the reason for its early settlement...
, of over 17,500 (compared to 1,300 in 1901). Kidlington residents have so far resisted proposals to become a town. Following a peremptory change by the Parish Council to Town status, the change was voted down in a ballot of the local electorate by 98%, and reversed.
Railways
A railway station on the Oxford and Rugby Railway near Langford Lane was designed by Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
and opened in 1852. The station was named Woodstock Road, although it was nearly 3 miles (5 km) from Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
and less than 1 miles (1.6 km) from Kidlington. The Oxford and Rugby Railway was part of 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...
, which in 1890 added a branch line to a new Blenheim and Woodstock railway station
Blenheim and Woodstock railway station
Blenheim & Woodstock was a railway station constructed in the neoclassical style which served the town of Woodstock and Blenheim Palace in the English county of Oxfordshire. The station, as well as the line, was constructed by the Duke of Marlborough and was privately run until 1897 when it became...
at Woodstock and renamed Woodstock Road "Kidlington". 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 Kidlington railway station
Kidlington railway station
Kidlington railway station opened in 1852 on the Oxford and Rugby Railway to serve the adjacent Oxfordshire village of Kidlington, and act as a railhead for the town of Woodstock, away...
in 1964. The station building remained in 1983. Speculation from the 1980s onwards was that a new station might be built on land between Flatford Place and Thorne Close on Lyne Road.
Oxford Road Halt
Oxford Road Halt railway station
Oxford Road Halt was a railway station on the Varsity Line west of the hamlet of Water Eaton, Oxfordshire.-History:The Varsity Line from to Oxford was opened in stages by the Buckinghamshire Railway. It had been opened as far as on 1 October 1850, from Islip to a temporary station at Banbury...
on the former Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the centre of Kidlington, was opened by the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
in 1905 and closed by its successor the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1926. Train operator Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
plans to build a new Water Eaton Parkway railway station
Water Eaton Parkway railway station
Water Eaton Parkway railway station is a proposed railway station at Water Eaton on the railway line between Oxford and Bicester. The station would be sited between Kidlington and Oxford next to an existing park and ride facility....
on the site of the former halt as part of its Project Evergreen3 development programme.
Amenities
Kidlington has about 50 shops, banks and building societies, a public library, a large village hall and a weekly market. There are seven public houses, two cafes, and four restaurants. The 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 are concentrated along the main A4260
A4260 road
The A4260 is a road that leads from the A422 Henneff Way, Banbury to Frieze Way near Oxford. It is single carriageway for a majority of the route, except for a section near Steeple Aston for and on Frieze Way where the A4260 meets the A34 at Peartree Interchange, Oxford, where it becomes a dual...
road through the village. North to south these are: the Black Horse, the Black Bull, the Red Lion and the Squire Bassett (changed to the Dogwood after new management, but then later back to the Squire Bassett), as well as the King's Arms in the Moors, and the Six Bells in Mill Street.
The village is home to the headquarters of the Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, the county St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
, and the major European publishing company Elsevier
Elsevier
Elsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
which has its UK head office here. Oxford Airport, renamed London Oxford Airport in 2009, is also in Kidlington; since 1962 it has had a pilot training school that has trained thousands of pilots for many airlines in over 40 countries. There are several industrial and business parks and a large motor park in the north of the village. Campsfield House
Campsfield House
Campsfield House is a privately run Immigration detention Centre near Oxford, England. It has been the site of a number of protests from human rights campaigners and has seen a number of hunger strikes and one suicide. The former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons condemned conditions at...
, one of ten Immigration Detention Centres run for the UK government, is also there.
There is a secondary school (Gosford Hill
Gosford Hill School
Gosford Hill School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Kidlington, Oxfordshire and a Specialist College of Mathematics and Computing; the first school in Oxfordshire to receive this award...
) and a handful of primary schools to deal with the expanding population. Recently Gosford Hill School has started a narrowband radio show for its pupils called GHS Radio.
Kidlington has a Women's Institute.
Economy
Kidlington's economy is made up up primarily of light industrial and commercial business. Thames Valley PoliceThames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
headquarters is also based in the village.
Significant to the village's development is the existence of London Oxford Airport. Opposite the airport is the Langford Locks industrial development and Oxford Motor Park home to showrooms for brands such as: Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, Nissan and Toyota. Businesses such as Guylian Chocolates, Eurocopter and Moss Plastics all have a presence in the village.
Privately run prison Campsfield House
Campsfield House
Campsfield House is a privately run Immigration detention Centre near Oxford, England. It has been the site of a number of protests from human rights campaigners and has seen a number of hunger strikes and one suicide. The former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons condemned conditions at...
is controversially situated in the industrial area.
Sports
Kidlington Football Club was founded in 1909. Its first team plays in the Hellenic Premier Division and it has a reserve team, an under 18 youth team and a veterans' team. All these teams are based at Kidlington F.C.Kidlington F.C.
Kidlington F.C. is a football club based in Kidlington, near Oxford, England. They were established in 1909 and joined the Hellenic Football League in 1954. In the 1976–77 season, they reached the 5th round of the FA Vase...
's Yarnton Road ground which is floodlit and has spectator terracing and seating for over 1 spectator. The football club has also played at other sites in or just outside the village.
Gosford All Blacks Rugby Football Club was founded in 1956. Despite its name, the club is based in Kidlington. Gosford's first team plays in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier League
Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier
These are the teams in the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier Division for 2011-2012:* Littlemore RFC* Drifters RFC* Gosford All Blacks RFC* Phoenix RFC* Stow-on-the-Wold and District RFC* Swindon College Old Boys RFC* Chipping Norton RFC* Thatcham RFC...
. 2009/2010 oxfordshire shield finalists. WWW.GosfordRugby.Com TRAINING TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS 7-9 PM STRATFIELD BRAKE MATCHES ARE 2.30 / 3 kickoff on Saturday
Kidlington Cricket Club was founded in 1837 and used to play in the Oxford Times Cherwell Cricket League. However, in January 2009 the League voted to expel Kidlington CC for alleged rule breaches. As of the 2010 season, the club now plays in the Oxfordshire Cricket Association (OCA) league.