Attractions and Places To See around Steeple Barton - Top 20

In addition to a tour of the baroque-style castle, there is also an interesting and recommendable exhibition about the British politician Winston Churchill.

This church, which is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Latin "Santa Croce"), takes its patronage from the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The veneration of the Holy Cross goes back in large part to Saint Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (who recognized Christianity as a religion after his victory at the "Milvian Bridge" in front of Rome and ended the long period of persecution with the "Edict of Toleration" of Milan in 312). In the early fourth century, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel / Palestine) and brought numerous relics back to Europe, including the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Helena is therefore often depicted with a cross as an attribute. The church celebrates the feast of the discovery, public presentation and veneration of the Holy Cross - called the "Exaltation of the Cross" - on September 14th.

Church. Medieval; rebuilt and west tower added in 1831 by William Turner; minor restoration by J. Buckeridge, 1869. Squared and coursed limestone with ashlar dressings; stone-coped gabled stone slate roof. Nave, chancel and west tower. Gothic Revival style. One-bay chancel has offset corner buttresses, 3-light Decorated-style east window and 2-light side windows. Two-bay south side of nave has hood mould over chamfered pointed-arched blocked doorway, and label moulds over 2-light ogee-headed cinquefoiled windows; to north side are similar windows flanking early C14 reset Decorated porch, which has hood mould with rosettes and unusually primitive head corbels over hollow-chamfered pointed-arched doorway with rosettes; Cl9 pointed-arched inner doorway. Three-stage west tower has hood moulds over cinquefoiled windows and battlemented parapet with corner gargoyles. Interior: arch-braced roof throughout, with moulded beams, wind braces and king posts, set on plain corbels adorned with arms of past vicars and lords of the manor. Chancel has mid C19 Minton tile floor, and early C14 reset cinquefoiled tomb recess. Double-chamfered chancel arch has traceried Decorated-style panels flanking brattished Perpendicular-style traceried wood screen made in 1896. Nave has wood traceried pulpit set on stone base, C18 parish chest, C11 tub font reset on late C19 piers and C19 west door. Late C19 stained glass throughout. Memorials: in chancel are wall tablets to John Rathbone, d.1613, set in coloured moulded architrave, Stephen Pomfrett, d.1713, with carved stall and hourglass set above roundel , and Gothic-style memorial to William Turner. Also in chancel is medieval child's coffin. Ledger stone in nave to Edward Egleton, d,1722. Pictures of church before restoration show that chancel had north chapel (whence tomb recess was moved) and that present C14 porch lay to south. William Turner was an Oxford watercolourist and his uncle William Turner of The Manor (q.v.) provided the money for restoration. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: pp757-8; Information from VCH National Monuments Record; Bodleian Library, Topographical Drawings)

Church. Medieval; rebuilt 1767-72 for Reverend Thomas Hinds; restored 1860 by Reverend F.C. Hingeston. Squared and coursed limestone with ashlar quoins; coursed limestone rubble with north wall and west tower. Gabled stone slate roof. Nave, chancel and west tower. East window of graduated C13-style lancets. Two-bay side walls have classical moulded cornice and pointed lancets; hood mould over mid C19 pointed arched chamfered doorway with plank door. Medieval 2-storey west tower; mid C19 Norman-style west doorway with nailhead decoration; C18 semi-circular arched belfry windows with key and impost blocks; crenellated parapet; pyramidal-roof has large ball finial and wrought-iron weathervane. Interior: mid C18 panelled pulpit; mid C19 pews; mid C18 gallery with panelled font set on slender octagonal shaft. Mid C18 plaster ceiling, with moulded cornice and square panels and central roundel. Monuments: south wall has white marble architectural monument with shield set in broken pediment and fluted Ionic pilasters to Thomas Hindes, d.1718, and wife Elizabeth, d.1761; two C20 wall tablets set in architectural frame. North side: architectural wall monument to Reverend Thomas Hindes, d.1768, with shield set in broken pediment and fluted pilasters; large fine architectural coloured monument to Vincent Barry, d.1615, his wife and daughter Lady Katherine, d.1663. 3 shields surmount inscription flanked by putti; Corinthian columns flank figures kneeling at prayer desks, with children below, set in segmental-arched recess with rosettes. Church stands in isolated position in fields, with deserted medieval village to south. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p630; VCH: Oxfordshire: Vol VI, pp158-9; National Monuments Record)

On the edge of the village, surrounded by fields grazed by sheep and horses, St Mary’s Hampton Poyle enjoys one of the loveliest settings of any church in Oxfordshire. Built of local stone around the same time as St Mary’s Kidlington, it has many interesting features inside and out. Small and simple Two stone corbels greet you at the large oak entrance door, which opens into the south aisle. The core of the church is a simple 13th-century chapel, consisting of a nave and chancel. The north and south aisles were added in the 14th century and the double bellcote at the west end is thought to date from the early 18th century. The chancel The chancel contains some fine features from the 13th-century ‘Early English’ period, including a lancet window and a priest’s door on the south side. The three-light east window, with its geometric tracery, dates from the late 13th century. The glass was renewed in the Victorian period. Medieval stained glass from about 1400 survives in the lights at the top of the window in the north side. They represent the symbols of the four Evangelists. The ornate marble reredos behind the altar, and the tiles at the side, were added in the Victorian period. The north aisle The two recumbent effigies in the north aisle are said to represent Walter de la Poyle, who became Lord of the Manor in 1267, and Catherine, Lady of the Manor, who died in 1489. The window on the left of the north wall shows the arms of Walter de la Poyle, and the brass fixed to the wall represents John Poyle (d. 1424) and his wife Elizabeth. Low down towards the east end of the wall there is a niche containing what is thought to be a ‘heart-stone’ for the separate burial of a heart. Interlocking arms Between the nave and north aisle is an octagonal pillar with a capital showing the upper halves of four figures with their arms linked. This style of 14th-century sculpture is more common in churches further north in Oxfordshire, including Adderbury and Bloxham. The Parish Previously a parish in its own right, Hampton Poyle has been served by the Kidlington Team Ministry for a number of years and was united with the Parish in 1997. Condemned clergy Hampton Poyle’s 16th-century priest Richard Thomason was allegedly condemned to hang in chains from Duns Tew steeple for his opposition to the first prayer book of Edward VI. The 17th-century rector Edward Fulham was forced to resign and flee abroad on account of his strong Royalist views and his opposition to Puritanism.

In 1704, Blenheim architect John Vanbrugh set out to create something spectacular across what was then just a marshy brook. The Grand Bridge was the outcome, containing no less than 30 rooms. In 1764, 'Capability' Brown set about improving and landscaping the grounds. His most notable work was the creation of Blenheim's Lake, which submerged the lower stories of the bridge.

Everything about the bridge is extraordinary and much of it is puzzling. No ground plan has survived. All we have is an elevation showing the proposed superstructure in the manner of a viaduct or of the Pont du Garde. Sarah 1st Duchess of M Marlborough vetoed the arcade. ÒI made Mr Vanbrugh my enemy', she wrote, Òby the constant disputes I had with him to prevent his extravagance.' The immensity of the Grand Bridge and its cost was one of the main subjects of their dispute. The Duchess scathingly told a friend that she had counted thirty-three rooms in it, that there was a house at each corner and that what made it so much prettier than London Bridge was that you might Òset in six rooms and look out at the window' while the coaches rumbled over your head. Vanbrugh in its defence went so far as to assure her that if, when it was finished, she found a house inside it she would go and live in it. Nothing was more unlikely; and indeed there is no evidence that it was ever lived in, though some rooms have fireplaces and chimneys, and one large windowless chamber has been plastered and fitted with an elliptical arch as though for a theatre. Old guidebooks describe the bridge as a cool retreat in summer, and no doubt many a picnic was enjoyed in the sunnier rooms. Unfortunately, it is no longer safe to enter now. http://www.camelotintl.com/heritage/historichouses/south_east/blenheim_palace/bpbridge.html

Blenheim Palace is the family estate of the Dukes of Marlborough, one of the largest palace and park ensembles in England. Located on the outskirts of Woodstock in Oxfordshire. Since 1987 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in 1705-1724 in a baroque style, rare for England, designed by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor as the residence of the first Duke of Marlborough and his wife Sarah. It got its name in honor of the Duke's victory over the French at Blenheim. In 1874, a descendant of the Duke, Winston Churchill, was born in the palace.