Wheatley, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Wheatley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire
, about 5 miles (8 km) east of Oxford
.
on Castle Hill, about 1 miles (1.6 km) southeast of the parish church
. It was excavated in 1845, when Roman coins
dating from AD 260 to 378 and fragments of Roman pottery
and Roman tiles
were found.
. It is in a valley running eastwards, the stream of which flows through the centre of the village to join the River Thame
. The stream used to be in the open, with stepping stones for people to cross it. However, it is now in a culvert
that runs along under the High Street.
In 1883 a Saxon cemetery was excavated, and artefacts
removed from it are housed in the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford
. In the 13th century Wheatley was part of the property of the Abbey of Abingdon and in 1279 was described as a hamlet of Cuddesdon
.
Wheatley manor house
was enlarged and improved in 1601, and bears an inscription on the front stating T.A. 1601, which stands for Thomas Archdale, the then owner. It still retains its original appearance whereas most of the other old cottages and buildings have been restored.
of Saint Mary the Virgin
was built in the 18th century. Samuel Wilberforce
, Bishop of Oxford
, disliked the building and had it rebuilt in 1855-1857 by the Oxford Diocesan
architect, G. E. Street
. Its tower has a peal
of six bells, four of which came from the former 18th century church. There is also a Russia
n bell from Troitsa, thought to have been claimed as a spoil of war and given to the church early in the 20th century.
The Congregational church was built in 1842–1843 on the site of the old tannery
. It is now an United Reformed Church
. Wheatley's Roman Catholic church
is Our Lady of Lourdes in Crown Road. It is part of the parish of Corpus Christi, Headington
. Wheatley also has an independent church in the old mission hall in Church Road. It is called The Granary
, recalling the building's original purpose as such.
All the churches in Wheatley are now in a Local Ecumenical Partnership
which also includes the parish church of Saint Bartholomew in Holton
.
which was used for building Windsor Castle
, Merton College
, local cottages and ecclesiastical buildings, most of which were erected between the 13th and 18th centuries. Other occupations included faggot cutting and ochre
cutting, the ochre being crushed at the windmill
which still stands today.
There were two windmills on the hill southwest of the village. One was a post mill
which burnt down in 1875. The other, Littleworth Mill, is a tower mill
that dates from before 1671. It has been rebuilt and re-equipped a number of times, including in 1784 when the Eagle Ironworks, Oxford
supplied some of the machinery. The tower mill had fallen out of use by 1915, but since 1977 the Wheatley Mill Restoration Society has been restoring it.
Wheatley once had ten public house
s. A plaque on a gable of the King's Arms in Church Street says that it was built in 1756.
In 1719 the Stokenchurch Turnpike Act turned the main road into a turnpike
. Stagecoach
es between the Golden Cross in Oxford
and London travelled via the Old Road over Shotover Plain to the west of the village. Many of Wheatley's inns had an upper entrance in Church Road and another in the High Street to accommodate the change of horses. The George coaching inn opposite the manor house is now a house with courtyards and a gift shop.
The village lock-up, built in 1834, is a pyramid-shaped stone structure standing near the edge of the former quarry site. It has a heavy padlocked door and the floor space is about 6 feet (1.8 m) square with a headroom of about 8 feet (2.4 m). In the 19th century it was used to lock up drunks overnight before sending them to the Oxford court. More recently it has been opened every May Day
. For a small charge visitors can be locked up for five minutes or so, and given a certificate to prove it.
Wheatley railway station
was opened in 1864 as part of an extension of the Wycombe Railway
from to . The railway linked the village to Oxford, , and . British Rail
ways closed the line and Wheatley station in 1963. Kelham Hall Drive and Kimber Close have been built on the site of the station.
Shotover House is the home of Lt Col
Sir John Miller, who was Crown Equerry
to Queen Elizabeth II
. In 1888 his grandmother gave the building known as the Merry Bells to the villagers for use as a temperance hotel as she was saddened to see so much hardship caused by drunkenness. Today the building houses a new public library and is a significant social centre of the village.
In the 20th century the Lady Spencer Churchill
teacher training college
was built on the north side of Wheatley. In 1976 the college merged with Oxford Polytechnic, which has since become Oxford Brookes University
.
In 1974 the M40 motorway
was extended from High Wycombe
to Junction 8 at Chilworth, about 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Wheatley, giving the village a fast road link to London. In 1990 the M40 extension was completed, giving Wheatley a fast road link to Birmingham
. The extension includes Junction 8A and Oxford Services
about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the village.
county primary school and a County Council secondary school.
Wheatley has regular bus services. Arriva The Shires runs route 280 between Oxford and Aylesbury
via Headington, Wheatley and Thame
. Heyfordian Travel provides routes 103 and 104 linking Wheatley and nearby villages with Cowley and Oxford.
Wheatley has a post office, a branch of Barclays bank, an Asda
supermarket
, a Co-Op pharmacy
, several shops in the High Street, and numerous village societies, including the Wheatley Society and a Village Produce Association which holds an annual show.
Wheatley has a number of pubs, including:
Wheatley has a Rugby Union
Football Club that plays in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Premier League
.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, about 5 miles (8 km) east 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...
.
Archaeology
There was a Roman villaRoman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
on Castle Hill, about 1 miles (1.6 km) southeast of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. It was excavated in 1845, when Roman coins
Roman currency
The Roman currency during most of the Roman Republic and the western half of the Roman Empire consisted of coins including the aureus , the denarius , the sestertius , the dupondius , and the as...
dating from AD 260 to 378 and fragments of Roman pottery
Ancient Roman pottery
Pottery was produced in enormous quantities in ancient Rome, mostly for utilitarian purposes. It is found all over the former Roman Empire and beyond...
and Roman tiles
Imbrex and tegula
The imbrex and tegula were overlapping roof tiles used in ancient Greek and Roman architecture as a waterproof and durable roof covering. They were made predominantly of fired clay, but also sometimes of marble, bronze or gilt...
were found.
Manor
The village had its beginnings in the Anglo-Saxon eraHistory of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
. It is in a valley running eastwards, the stream of which flows through the centre of the village to join the River Thame
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
. The stream used to be in the open, with stepping stones for people to cross it. However, it is now in a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
that runs along under the High Street.
In 1883 a Saxon cemetery was excavated, and artefacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
removed from it are housed in the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in 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...
. In the 13th century Wheatley was part of the property of the Abbey of Abingdon and in 1279 was described as a hamlet of Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon is an east Oxfordshire village about east of Oxford. It is notable as the location of Ripon College Cuddesdon....
.
Wheatley manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was enlarged and improved in 1601, and bears an inscription on the front stating T.A. 1601, which stands for Thomas Archdale, the then owner. It still retains its original appearance whereas most of the other old cottages and buildings have been restored.
Churches
The Church of England parish churchChurch 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 Saint 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...
was built in the 18th century. Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his time and place...
, Bishop of Oxford
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford...
, disliked the building and had it rebuilt in 1855-1857 by the Oxford Diocesan
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
architect, G. E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
. Its tower 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 six bells, four of which came from the former 18th century church. There is also a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n bell from Troitsa, thought to have been claimed as a spoil of war and given to the church early in the 20th century.
The Congregational church was built in 1842–1843 on the site of the old tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. It is now an United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
. Wheatley's Roman Catholic church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
is Our Lady of Lourdes in Crown Road. It is part of the parish of Corpus Christi, Headington
Headington
Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:...
. Wheatley also has an independent church in the old mission hall in Church Road. It is called The Granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
, recalling the building's original purpose as such.
All the churches in Wheatley are now in a Local Ecumenical Partnership
Local ecumenical partnership
In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations....
which also includes the parish church of Saint Bartholomew in Holton
Holton, Oxfordshire
Holton is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about east of Oxford. The parish is bounded to the southeast by the River Thame, to the east and north by the Thame's tributary Holton Brook, to the south by London Road and to the west by field boundaries with the parishes of Forest Hill...
.
Economic and social history
One of Wheatley's main industries was quarrying limestoneCotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
which was used for building Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
, Merton College
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, local cottages and ecclesiastical buildings, most of which were erected between the 13th and 18th centuries. Other occupations included faggot cutting and ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
cutting, the ochre being crushed at the windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
which still stands today.
There were two windmills on the hill southwest of the village. One was a post mill
Post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have...
which burnt down in 1875. The other, Littleworth Mill, is a tower mill
Tower mill
A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....
that dates from before 1671. It has been rebuilt and re-equipped a number of times, including in 1784 when the Eagle Ironworks, Oxford
Eagle Ironworks, Oxford
The Eagle Ironworks was an ironworks owned by Lucy's on the Oxford Canal in Jericho, Oxford, England. The ironworks was on Walton Well Road at the northern end of Walton Street and backed onto St Sepulchre's Cemetery...
supplied some of the machinery. The tower mill had fallen out of use by 1915, but since 1977 the Wheatley Mill Restoration Society has been restoring it.
Wheatley once had ten public house
Public 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. A plaque on a gable of the King's Arms in Church Street says that it was built in 1756.
In 1719 the Stokenchurch Turnpike Act turned the main road into a turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
. Stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
es between the Golden Cross in Oxford
Golden Cross, Oxford
Golden Cross is a shopping arcade in central Oxford, England. The original structure on the site dates from 1193, when it was called Maugershall after the then owner, and consisted of shops with an inn on the upper storeys...
and London travelled via the Old Road over Shotover Plain to the west of the village. Many of Wheatley's inns had an upper entrance in Church Road and another in the High Street to accommodate the change of horses. The George coaching inn opposite the manor house is now a house with courtyards and a gift shop.
The village lock-up, built in 1834, is a pyramid-shaped stone structure standing near the edge of the former quarry site. It has a heavy padlocked door and the floor space is about 6 feet (1.8 m) square with a headroom of about 8 feet (2.4 m). In the 19th century it was used to lock up drunks overnight before sending them to the Oxford court. More recently it has been opened every May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
. For a small charge visitors can be locked up for five minutes or so, and given a certificate to prove it.
Wheatley railway station
Wheatley railway station
Wheatley railway station was on the Wycombe Railway and served the village of Wheatley in Oxfordshire.It was opened in 1864 as part of an extension from Thame to Oxford. The railway crossed the steep road of Ladder Hill by a bridge...
was opened in 1864 as part of an extension of the Wycombe Railway
Wycombe Railway
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between and that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to .-History:The Wycombe Railway Company was incorporated by an act of Parliament passed in 1846...
from to . The railway linked the village to Oxford, , and . 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 and Wheatley station in 1963. Kelham Hall Drive and Kimber Close have been built on the site of the station.
Shotover House is the home of Lt Col
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Sir John Miller, who was Crown Equerry
Crown Equerry
The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages...
to Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. In 1888 his grandmother gave the building known as the Merry Bells to the villagers for use as a temperance hotel as she was saddened to see so much hardship caused by drunkenness. Today the building houses a new public library and is a significant social centre of the village.
In the 20th century the Lady Spencer Churchill
Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill
Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, GBE, CStJ was the wife of Sir Winston Churchill and a life peeress in her own right.-Early life:...
teacher training college
Teacher training college
A teacher training college is a college of higher education that specialises in training students to be teachers.Many universities offer similar facilities, a number of which acquired their provision by taking over a teacher training college or by a teacher training college evolving into a...
was built on the north side of Wheatley. In 1976 the college merged with Oxford Polytechnic, which has since become Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
.
In 1974 the M40 motorway
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
was extended from High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
to Junction 8 at Chilworth, about 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Wheatley, giving the village a fast road link to London. In 1990 the M40 extension was completed, giving Wheatley a fast road link to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The extension includes Junction 8A and Oxford Services
Oxford services
Oxford services is a motorway service station next to junction 8A of the M40 motorway at Waterstock near Wheatley in Oxfordshire. It is named after the nearby city of Oxford. The services are owned by Welcome Break and opened in the summer of 1998. There is also a Days Inn hotel on the site.. There...
about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the village.
Amenities
Wheatley has a Church of EnglandVoluntary 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...
county primary school and a County Council secondary school.
Wheatley has regular bus services. Arriva The Shires runs route 280 between Oxford and Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
via Headington, Wheatley and Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
. Heyfordian Travel provides routes 103 and 104 linking Wheatley and nearby villages with Cowley and Oxford.
Wheatley has a post office, a branch of Barclays bank, an Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, a Co-Op pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, several shops in the High Street, and numerous village societies, including the Wheatley Society and a Village Produce Association which holds an annual show.
Wheatley has a number of pubs, including:
- The King and Queen, High Street
- The King's Arms, Church Street (Greene King BreweryGreene King BreweryGreene King is a British brewery established in 1799 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It has grown to become one of the largest British owned breweries in the UK through a series of takeovers which have been the subject of some criticism. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent...
) - The Cricketers Arms, Littleworth
- The Railway Hotel, Ladder Hill (Fuller's)
- The Sun Inn, Church Road
Wheatley has a Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Football Club that plays in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 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...
.