Botley, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey
, just west of the Oxford
city boundary in the English
county of Oxfordshire
. It was in Berkshire
until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire. It lies near the junction between the A34 Oxford ring road
and the A420
to Swindon
.
Botley is effectively a suburb
of Oxford, a largely residential area with property prices ranging from relatively cheap in some places, to very expensive, in the direction of Cumnor
.
The settlement of Dean Court
adjoins Botley, in the parish of Cumnor.
of St Peter and St Paul, built in 1958. The various large office buildings along the main road include Seacourt Tower, known locally as "Botley Cathedral" owing to its small metal spire, originally built in 1965-66 as a car showroom and garage to a design by Beecher and Stamford. It is still owned by Hartwell Ford.
. Its toponym
comes from Old English, meaning a woodland clearing of a man called Bota. It falls within the parish of North Hinksey
, and so was historically in the county of Berkshire
. Because the main road west out of Oxford has passed through Botley since the 16th century, development since then was centred here rather than in the village of North Hinksey itself, slightly further south. From the 1880s the centre of the village began to be called Old Botley, in distinction to the New Botley development along Botley Road
in Oxford. The name Old Botley is preserved in a street set back from the main road. The major development which began in the 1930s took place to the west, beyond the current ring road.
To the north of Botley was the lost village
of Seacourt
. The site of the former village is in neighbouring Wytham
parish, but it is commemorated in Botley in the names of Seacourt Tower, the Seacourt Bridge public house
and the nearby park and ride
site.
North Hinksey
North Hinksey , is a small civil parish in county Berkshire, 2 miles west of Oxford, and 5 miles north of of Abingdon,situated on the right bank of the Isis...
, just west of the 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...
city boundary in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It was in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire. It lies near the junction between the A34 Oxford ring road
Oxford Ring Road
The Oxford ring road is a ring road around the city of Oxford, England. It is a dual carriageway for most of its length apart from a short section to the North between the Woodstock and Banbury Roads....
and the A420
A420 road
The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before...
to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
.
Botley is effectively a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Oxford, a largely residential area with property prices ranging from relatively cheap in some places, to very expensive, in the direction of Cumnor
Cumnor
Cumnor is a village and civil parish west of the centre of Oxford, England. The parish of Cumnor includes Cumnor Hill, , Chawley , the Dean Court area on the edge of Botley and the outlying settlements of Chilswell, Farmoor and Swinford...
.
The settlement of Dean Court
Dean Court, Oxfordshire
Dean Court is a suburb west of the centre of Oxford, England. Dean Court was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-History:...
adjoins Botley, in the parish of Cumnor.
Buildings
Botley includes a small local shopping centre at Elms Parade and a small precinct called West Way, a small retail complex, and 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 St Peter and St Paul, built in 1958. The various large office buildings along the main road include Seacourt Tower, known locally as "Botley Cathedral" owing to its small metal spire, originally built in 1965-66 as a car showroom and garage to a design by Beecher and Stamford. It is still owned by Hartwell Ford.
History
Botley was first settled in the 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...
. Its toponym
Toponymy
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...
comes from Old English, meaning a woodland clearing of a man called Bota. It falls within the parish of North Hinksey
North Hinksey
North Hinksey , is a small civil parish in county Berkshire, 2 miles west of Oxford, and 5 miles north of of Abingdon,situated on the right bank of the Isis...
, and so was historically in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Because the main road west out of Oxford has passed through Botley since the 16th century, development since then was centred here rather than in the village of North Hinksey itself, slightly further south. From the 1880s the centre of the village began to be called Old Botley, in distinction to the New Botley development along Botley Road
Botley Road
Botley Road is the main arterial road into Oxford, England from the west. It stretches between Botley, on the Oxford Ring Road to the west of the city, and Frideswide Square at the junction with Oxford railway station, close to central Oxford....
in Oxford. The name Old Botley is preserved in a street set back from the main road. The major development which began in the 1930s took place to the west, beyond the current ring road.
To the north of Botley was the lost village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
of Seacourt
Seacourt
Seacourt is a deserted medieval village near Botley in Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Toponym:...
. The site of the former village is in neighbouring Wytham
Wytham
Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ....
parish, but it is commemorated in Botley in the names of Seacourt Tower, the Seacourt Bridge 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...
and the nearby park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
site.
