Bledington

Green, Brook and Cider House

Ducks and bantams roam beside Bledington's broad green, where a Victorian maypole still stands. Bledington Brook skirts the green. Light honeycomb Cotswold-stone houses gather around it, about four miles southeast of Stow-on-the-Wold. The nearby River Evenlode marks the boundary between Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

At one end of the green, the King's Head Inn occupies a restored 16th-century former cider house. Archie and Nicola Orr-Ewing have kept its stone walls, oak beams, flagstone floors and inglenook fireplace; its 12 guest rooms are split between the inn and courtyard. The restaurant holds one AA Rosette and serves seasonal British-inspired food and pub classics, including Sunday roast. Dogs are welcome in the bar and public areas, but not the bedrooms.

Footpaths and Ancient Woodland

Footpaths cross the Evenlode's flat water meadows and link the village with surrounding fields. One circular walk returns from Foscot over a footbridge at Westcote Brook; a shorter loop stays close to the river.

Foxholes Nature Reserve is ancient woodland within walking distance of Bledington, with spring bluebells, birdlife and fungi. A 1.75-mile Wildlife Walk follows badger waymarkers through the reserve; the approach tracks become muddy after rain.

Community Effort and Medieval Glass

The former village shop closed in 2007. Nearly ten years of work by local volunteers led to the opening of Bledington Community Shop and Café in November 2019. The community-owned venture now has over 300 members and is staffed by volunteers.

The Church of St Leonard is Grade I listed, with 12th-century fabric and a tub-shaped Norman font. Much was rebuilt in the 15th century, the date of its surviving painted glass. The tower has a ring of six bells. Two bells bear separate 1639 inscriptions: “We are the belles of Bledinton” and “And Charles he is our king.” During a 1930s restoration, the latter was preserved outside the ringing peal.

Morris, Rail and Nearby Stops

Bledington gives its name to a Cotswold Morris tradition collected by Cecil Sharp. Dancers performed in the Bledington tradition in the village in 2001.

Kingham station is about a mile away, with trains to London Paddington. The B4450 runs through Bledington toward Chipping Norton, and Daylesford Organic lies about two miles away near Kingham. Stow-on-the-Wold is a short drive northwest.

Three Pounds in Domesday

In the Domesday Book the surveyors counted eight villagers, a mill, and thirty acres of meadow, and valued the whole place at three pounds. It had been worth four twenty years earlier.