Yarnton
Encyclopedia
Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire
about 1 miles (1.6 km) southwest of Kidlington
and 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Oxford
and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Woodstock
.
A series or irregular late Iron Age
to early Roman
enclosures in the parish, two of which are between 10 metres (32.8 ft) and 12 metres (39.4 ft) across, are known from cropmark
s.
has evolved from Erdington in Old English to Eyrynten in 1495–96, Yardington in the 16th century but also Yarnton from 1517. The form "Yarnton" eventually prevailed. Erdington may have originally meant either "dwelling place" or "Earda's farm".
Most of the land at Yarnton was granted to Eynsham Abbey
in 1005 but Remigius de Fécamp
, a supporter of William the Conqueror
, took it during the Norman conquest of England
in 1066. In 1226 King Henry III
gave it to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
, and in 1281 Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
gave it to Rewley Abbey
. In the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1536 Rewley Abbey was dissolved and King Henry VIII
sold Yarnton to his physician
.
Sir Thomas Spencer had Yarnton manor house
, a large Jacobean
country mansion
, built in 1611. During the English Civil War
the house seems to have served as a Royalist
military hospital
: in 1643–45 about 40 Royalist soldiers were buried in St Bartholomew's churchyard.
In about 1670 the Spencer family remodelled the interior of the house, but in 1695 most of the manor was sold to Sir Robert Dashwood of Kirtlington
Park. In 1718 Yarnton manor house was reported to be in a "ruinated condition". The north and south wings were demolished, possibly in about 1756 by Sir Robert's successor Sir James Dashwood.
In 1897 a new owner engaged the Gothic revival architect
Thomas Garner
who restored the remaining part of the house. The manor house is now the headquarters of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
.
of Saint Bartholomew was in existence by 1161 as a chapel attached to Eynsham Abbey. The Norman
building from that period was completely rebuilt in the 13th century in the Early English Gothic style. The Perpendicular Gothic windows in the nave
were added much later, followed by the clerestory
in about 1600.
Sir Thomas Spencer added the Spencer chapel, also Perpendicular Gothic, in 1611. The chapel houses monuments including Sir William Spencer (died 1609), Sir Thomas Spencer, 3rd Baronet
(died 1684) and Charlotte Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (died 1850). The chapel's windows contain heraldic
stained glass
representing branches of the Spencer family and are the largest collection of early 17th century heraldic glass in Oxfordshire.
The remains of 15th century wall paintings
including a Nativity
are visible over the chancel arch. Above it are what may be remnants of a Massacre of the Innocents
. Other paintings may survive under the current limewash, including what may be a large Saint Christopher
over the north doorway.
Late in the 18th century Alderman
William Fletcher of Oxford, who was born in Yarnton, gave St. Bartholomew's six alabaster
reliefs carved by a Nottingham
sculptor in the 15th century and said to have been found during excavations near St Edmund Hall, Oxford
. Four of the panels now form a reredos
in the chancel. In the 1860's the other two were transferred to London: one to the British Museum
and the other to the Victoria and Albert Museum
.
The windows of St Bartholomew's nave contain many examples of 15th and 16th century stained glass. A few of these were made for Yarnton, but most came from elsewhere and were given by William Fletcher between 1812 and 1816.
St. Bartholomew's bell tower
was built in about 1611. One of its bells
was cast in 1618 but William Taylor recast it in 1853, presumably at his Oxford foundry
. Five more bells were cast in 1620 to complete the present ring
of six: the tenor and one other by Henry I Knight of Reading
but the treble and two other bells by another bell-founder
, possibly Robert Atton of Buckingham
. St. Bartholomew's has also a Sanctus bell that William Yare of Reading cast in about 1611.
since at least 1587. The Six Bells Inn is reputed to have gained its name in 1620, about the time that St. Bartholomew's acquired its ring of six bells (see above). The inn certainly bore this name by 1670. The Six Bells is no longer a public house but survives as a private house opposite the Red Lion.
The main road between Oxford and Woodstock
passes just east of the village. In 1719 it was made a turnpike
and a toll house was built on Woodstock Road by the Turnpike
public house (formerly called "The Grapes"). The road ceased to be a turnpike in 1878. It is now the A44 trunk road
.
There had been sporadic attempts at educating the children of Yarnton since the 1580s, but none seems to have produced a school that endured and became established enough to have its own building. A Sunday school
was founded in 1783 and a day school was added in 1814. William Fletcher paid for the school and Parish Clerk's house to be built in 1817. Despite its late Georgian
date it is a neo-Tudor
building, in keeping with both the character of Yarnton village and William Fletcher's antiquarian
tastes. In 1831 the school became a National School
.
In 1875 the school moved to newly-built larger premises in Church Lane. The new school buildings were extended in 1901. In 1932 the school was reorganised as a junior school, with senior pupils being transferred to the newly-opened secondary school at Gosford. Yarnton school was enlarged again in 1955. In 1971 it moved to new premises in Rutten Lane and became the William Fletcher primary school The 1817 and 1875 school buildings are now private houses.
The Oxford and Rugby Railway passing just east
of Yarnton opened in 1852 and the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
passing just south
of the village opened in 1853. The two lines meet at Wolvercote
Junction about 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village. A railway just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) long linking the OW&WR at Yarnton Junction with the Buckinghamshire Railway
near Water Eaton
opened in 1854. Yarnton station
was built at the end of Church Lane. In 1862 the Witney Railway
opened, joining the OW&W Railway at Yarnton junction. In 1962 British Rail
ways closed Yarnton station and withdrew passenger services between Oxford and Witney. In 1970 BR withdrew freight services from the former Witney Railway and dismantled the line. The OW&WR is now the Cotswold Line
and the O&RR has been renamed the Oxford Canal Line
.
s: the Red Lion on Cassington Road and the Turnpike on the A44 Woodstock Road.
The parish has a Women's Institute.
Yarnton Football Club plays in the Oxfordshire Senior Football League
. A separate youth football club, Yarnton Blues FC, plays in the Witney and District Youth Football League.
Yarnton Band is a brass band
that was founded in 1959. At its peak it competed in the national second section. The band continues to play and regularly performs at local events.
In 2007 the village hosted the Festinho festival which raised money for Brazilian children.
Woodland in the parish is now limited to lands around Yarnton Manor and the southwest side of the village, comprising mainly Spring Hill bordering the Duke of Marlborough's Bladon
and Begbroke
hunting forest.
Pixey and Yarnton Meads were declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
for their flora and fauna in 1955.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
about 1 miles (1.6 km) southwest of Kidlington
Kidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...
and 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest 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 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of 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....
.
Archaeology
Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the parish. These suggest human activity in the area somewhen between 2700 and 1700 BC.A series or irregular late Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
to early Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
enclosures in the parish, two of which are between 10 metres (32.8 ft) and 12 metres (39.4 ft) across, are known from cropmark
Cropmark
Cropmarks or Crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform...
s.
Manor
The 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...
has evolved from Erdington in Old English to Eyrynten in 1495–96, Yardington in the 16th century but also Yarnton from 1517. The form "Yarnton" eventually prevailed. Erdington may have originally meant either "dwelling place" or "Earda's farm".
Most of the land at Yarnton was granted to Eynsham Abbey
Eynsham Abbey
Eynsham Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, in England between 1005 and 1538. King Æthelred allowed Æthelmær the Stout to found the abbey in 1005. There is some evidence that the abbey was built on the site of an earlier minster, probably founded in the 7th or 8th...
in 1005 but Remigius de Fécamp
Remigius de Fécamp
Remigius de Fécamp was a Benedictine monk who was a supporter of William the Conqueror.-Early life:...
, a supporter of William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, took it during the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
in 1066. In 1226 King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
gave it to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , 1st Earl of Cornwall and German King...
, and in 1281 Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Edmund of Cornwall of Almain was the 2nd Earl of Cornwall of the 7th creation.-Early life:Edmund was born at Berkhamsted Castle on 26 December 1249, the second and only surviving son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and his wife Sanchia of Provence, daughter of Ramon Berenguer, Count of Provence,...
gave it to Rewley Abbey
Rewley Abbey
The Cistercian Abbey of Rewley was an Abbey in Oxford, England. It was founded in the 13th century by Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall. Edmund's father, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, founder of Hayles Abbey, had intended to establish a college or chantry of three secular priests to pray for his...
. In the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536 Rewley Abbey was dissolved and King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
sold Yarnton to his physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Sir Thomas Spencer had Yarnton 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...
, a large Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
country mansion
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
, built in 1611. During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the house seems to have served as a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
military hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
: in 1643–45 about 40 Royalist soldiers were buried in St Bartholomew's churchyard.
In about 1670 the Spencer family remodelled the interior of the house, but in 1695 most of the manor was sold to Sir Robert Dashwood of Kirtlington
Kirtlington
Kirtlington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Bicester.-Archaeology:The Portway is a pre-Roman road running parallel with the River Cherwell on high ground about east of the river. It bisects Kirtlington parish and passes through the village. A short stretch of it is now...
Park. In 1718 Yarnton manor house was reported to be in a "ruinated condition". The north and south wings were demolished, possibly in about 1756 by Sir Robert's successor Sir James Dashwood.
In 1897 a new owner engaged the Gothic revival architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
who restored the remaining part of the house. The manor house is now the headquarters of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
The Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies is an independent institution which is part of the University of Oxford. Its research fellows teach on a variety of Bachelors and Masters degrees in Oriental Studies, and it publishes the Journal of Jewish Studies.-History and Case Statement:The...
.
Parish church
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 Bartholomew was in existence by 1161 as a chapel attached to Eynsham Abbey. The Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
building from that period was completely rebuilt in the 13th century in the Early English Gothic style. The Perpendicular Gothic windows in the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
were added much later, followed by the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
in about 1600.
Sir Thomas Spencer added the Spencer chapel, also Perpendicular Gothic, in 1611. The chapel houses monuments including Sir William Spencer (died 1609), Sir Thomas Spencer, 3rd Baronet
Sir Thomas Spencer, 3rd Baronet
Sir Thomas Spencer, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.Spencer was the son of Sir William Spencer, 2nd Baronet and his wife Constance Lucy, daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote...
(died 1684) and Charlotte Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (died 1850). The chapel's windows contain heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
representing branches of the Spencer family and are the largest collection of early 17th century heraldic glass in Oxfordshire.
The remains of 15th century wall paintings
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
including a Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
are visible over the chancel arch. Above it are what may be remnants of a Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre of the Innocents
The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
. Other paintings may survive under the current limewash, including what may be a large Saint Christopher
Saint Christopher
.Saint Christopher is a saint venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, listed as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman Emperor Decius or alternatively under the Roman Emperor Maximinus II Dacian...
over the north doorway.
Late in the 18th century Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
William Fletcher of Oxford, who was born in Yarnton, gave St. Bartholomew's six alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
reliefs carved by a Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
sculptor in the 15th century and said to have been found during excavations near St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
. Four of the panels now form a reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
in the chancel. In the 1860's the other two were transferred to London: one to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the other to the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
.
The windows of St Bartholomew's nave contain many examples of 15th and 16th century stained glass. A few of these were made for Yarnton, but most came from elsewhere and were given by William Fletcher between 1812 and 1816.
St. Bartholomew's 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...
was built in about 1611. One of its bells
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
was cast in 1618 but William Taylor recast it in 1853, presumably at his Oxford foundry
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
. Five more bells were cast in 1620 to complete the present ring
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: the tenor and one other by Henry I Knight of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
but the treble and two other bells by another bell-founder
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
, possibly Robert Atton of Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
. St. Bartholomew's has also a Sanctus bell that William Yare of Reading cast in about 1611.
Economic and social history
Yarnton has had a licenced 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...
since at least 1587. The Six Bells Inn is reputed to have gained its name in 1620, about the time that St. Bartholomew's acquired its ring of six bells (see above). The inn certainly bore this name by 1670. The Six Bells is no longer a public house but survives as a private house opposite the Red Lion.
The main road between Oxford and 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....
passes just east of the village. In 1719 it was made 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...
and a toll house was built on Woodstock Road by the Turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
public house (formerly called "The Grapes"). The road ceased to be a turnpike in 1878. It is now the A44 trunk road
A44 road
The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...
.
There had been sporadic attempts at educating the children of Yarnton since the 1580s, but none seems to have produced a school that endured and became established enough to have its own building. A Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
was founded in 1783 and a day school was added in 1814. William Fletcher paid for the school and Parish Clerk's house to be built in 1817. Despite its late 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...
date it is a neo-Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
building, in keeping with both the character of Yarnton village and William Fletcher's antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
tastes. In 1831 the school became a National School
National school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
.
In 1875 the school moved to newly-built larger premises in Church Lane. The new school buildings were extended in 1901. In 1932 the school was reorganised as a junior school, with senior pupils being transferred to the newly-opened secondary school at Gosford. Yarnton school was enlarged again in 1955. In 1971 it moved to new premises in Rutten Lane and became the William Fletcher primary school The 1817 and 1875 school buildings are now private houses.
The Oxford and Rugby Railway passing just east
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
of Yarnton opened in 1852 and the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
passing just south
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
of the village opened in 1853. The two lines meet at Wolvercote
Wolvercote
Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England, though still retaining its own identity. It is about northwest of the centre of Oxford, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow.-History:The village is listed in the Domesday Book as...
Junction about 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the village. A railway just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) long linking the OW&WR at Yarnton Junction with the Buckinghamshire Railway
Buckinghamshire Railway
The Buckinghamshire Railway was a railway company in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England that constructed railway lines connecting Bletchley, Banbury and Oxford...
near 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...
opened in 1854. Yarnton station
Yarnton railway station
Yarnton Junction was a three platform station serving the village of Yarnton, Oxfordshire. It was built in 1861 at the junction of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway and Witney Railway north of Oxford....
was built at the end of Church Lane. In 1862 the Witney Railway
Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
The Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway was a single track railway line, long, in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.-The Witney Railway:In 1849 a branch line was proposed from the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway at Wilcote near Charlbury via North Leigh to Witney, but the route was...
opened, joining the OW&W Railway at Yarnton junction. In 1962 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 Yarnton station and withdrew passenger services between Oxford and Witney. In 1970 BR withdrew freight services from the former Witney Railway and dismantled the line. The OW&WR is now the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
and the O&RR has been renamed the Oxford Canal Line
Cherwell Valley Line
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
.
Amenities
Yarnton has two 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: the Red Lion on Cassington Road and the Turnpike on the A44 Woodstock Road.
The parish has a Women's Institute.
Yarnton Football Club plays in the Oxfordshire Senior Football League
Oxfordshire Senior Football League
The Oxfordshire Senior Football League is an association football competition based in Oxfordshire, England. The league has four divisions; the Premier Division and Division One contain clubs' first teams, while Division Two and Division Three are mainly made up entirely of reserve sides...
. A separate youth football club, Yarnton Blues FC, plays in the Witney and District Youth Football League.
Yarnton Band is a brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
that was founded in 1959. At its peak it competed in the national second section. The band continues to play and regularly performs at local events.
In 2007 the village hosted the Festinho festival which raised money for Brazilian children.
Woodland in the parish is now limited to lands around Yarnton Manor and the southwest side of the village, comprising mainly Spring Hill bordering the Duke of Marlborough's Bladon
Bladon
Bladon is a village and civil parish on the River Glyme about northwest of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.-Churches:The Parish Church of Saint Martin was originally 11th or 12th century, but was rebuilt twice in the 19th century: firstly in 1804, and then by the architect A.W...
and 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...
hunting forest.
Pixey and Yarnton Meads were declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
for their flora and fauna in 1955.