Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>This is a Cotswolds village that ticks all the boxes &#8211; pubs, shop, good schools, and that rarest of things – a train station on the line to London. Oh, and the odd resident A-lister.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat">EAT </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="796" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-19-at-14.54.36.png" alt="The Wild Rabbit Kingham" class="wp-image-138194" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-19-at-14.54.36.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-19-at-14.54.36-800x637.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-19-at-14.54.36-400x318.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-19-at-14.54.36-660x525.png 660w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Wild Rabbit </figcaption></figure>



<p>This part of the world offers a masterclass in gastropub dining, from the village&#8217;s own <a aria-label="The Wild Rabbit (opens in a new tab)" href="https://thewildrabbit.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Wild Rabbit</a> (Muddy Awards 2022 winner for Best Boutique Stay no less), which offers everything from fine seasonal and local fayre to chips on the terrace, and another Bamford family-owned pub a few minutes down the road, <a href="https://thefoxatoddington.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Fox at Oddington</a> &#8211; expect more refinement and cocktails mingling on bar tables with local ales. In the village you&#8217;ve also got <a href="https://thekinghamplough.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Kingham Plough</a>, an equally modern pub with rooms popular for its grazing plates and all-day bar menu. In neighbouring Nether Westcote is <a aria-label="The Feathered Nest (opens in a new tab)" href="https://thefeatherednestinn.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Feathered Nest</a>, with its 3 AA Rosette dining and dog-friendly bar area. Just up the road in Churchill there&#8217;s <a href="https://lionhearth.co.uk/the-chequers/">The Chequers</a> and in Ascott-under-Wychwood is <a href="https://lionhearth.co.uk/swan-stay/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Swan</a>, an 11-bed pub with rooms and elevated pub food. </p>



<p>Two miles away is the <a aria-label="Daylesford Organic Farm (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.daylesford.com/our-locations/daylesford-farm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daylesford Organic Farm</a>, with its Trough Café, where the elegant seasonal food defies the name, plus the Old Spot Restaurant for wood-fired pizza (will you be having the basil and cashew nut pesto on that?) and The Legbar (gen up on your chickens, sweetie) for coffees, cocktails and small plates. For more family and pocket-friendly options, there&#8217;s all that Chipping Norton has to offer four miles down the road in the other direction, including the crowd pleasing pub/restaurant <a aria-label="Bitter &amp; Twisted (opens in a new tab)" href="http://bitterandtwistedchippingnorton.co.uk/food-and-drink" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bitter &amp; Twisted</a>, and scone-fest that is <a aria-label="The Tea Set (opens in a new tab)" href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/tea-set-chipping-norton/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Tea Set</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kingham-Village-Stores-100459605156699/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingham Village Store</a> is not your average village shop, selling seasonal fresh produce alongside the normal essentials, plus a post office to boot. Otherwise you can fill your Hunters galore at Daylesford Organic&#8217;s farm shop a few minutes up the road plus there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChippingNortonFMkt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chipping Norton Farmers&#8217; Market</a> every third Saturday of the month. If it&#8217;s something a little more chi chi than a pint of milk that you&#8217;re after, then <a href="https://www.burford.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Burford Garden Company</a>, 20 mins away is prime pootling territory, with its homewares, bookshop, furniture, fashion and plants.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-2024-09-24T212734.225.jpg" alt="Bamford Wellness Spa at Daylesford Organic" class="wp-image-172196" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-2024-09-24T212734.225.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-2024-09-24T212734.225-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-2024-09-24T212734.225-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-2024-09-24T212734.225-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bamford Wellness Spa at Daylesford Organic</figcaption></figure>



<p>The whole foodie thing is well offset here by the phenomenal walking and cycling in the area – the long distance Oxfordshire Way and Diamond Way routes pass close by and there are countless options to explore the surrounding Evenlode Valley as well as plenty of walking routes set out by <a href="https://www.cotswolds.com/things-to-do/kingham-walks-p2108893" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cotswold Conservation Board</a>. Cyclists also flock here for the road and mountain biking options. Fancy something a little less sweaty? For a spot of pampering, the obvious option is the super luxe <a href="https://www.bamford.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bamford Wellness Spa</a> at Daylesford Organic with body treatments, facials and medispa therapies but there&#8217;s also the excellent <a href="https://cedartherapy.com/luxury-beauty-salons/chipping-norton-salon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cedar Therapy</a> a ten minute drive away in Chipping Norton.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS </h2>



<p>If ambling the honey-stone high streets of chocolate box Cotswolds towns like Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water aren&#8217;t enough for you, <a href="https://cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cotswold Farm Park</a>, owned by Adam Henson – he of <em>Countryfile</em> fame &#8211; is a gem for families and only 20 mins drive away. There&#8217;s also one of my favourite National Trust properties, <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/chastleton" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chastleton House</a> ,ten minute&#8217;s drive north with its gorgeous Jacobean manor and gardens (a filming location for the BBC&#8217;s <em>Wolf Hal</em>l)and just beyond that the area&#8217;s &#8216;Stonehenge&#8217;, the <a href="https://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rollright Stones</a>, neolithic stones known as the King Stone, the King&#8217;s Men and the Whispering Knights. You can visit for £2 per adult and £1 per child. There are no facilities on site but there&#8217;s the farm shop and garden centre, Wyatts, a mile down the road. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture">CULTURE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/07/the-big-feastaval-.jpg" alt="The Big Feastival" class="wp-image-93587" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/07/the-big-feastaval-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/07/the-big-feastaval--150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/07/the-big-feastaval--300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/07/the-big-feastaval--720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Big Feastival</figcaption></figure>



<p>The farm owned by Alex James, Blur guitarist-turned-cheesemaker, just outside the village hosts the wildly popular music and cheese fest that is <a href="https://thebigfeastival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Big Feastival</a> every year. Also super local is the bigger, glossier, more louche Wilderness festival &#8211; you&#8217;ll be at an Ottolenghi sharing table at the August weekender in 15 minutes. </p>



<p>If you love art, Stow-on-the-Wold has oodles of galleries displaying and selling art from more and less established names, while for theatre you&#8217;ll be heading over to the Chippy, Chipping Norton&#8217;s beloved theatre, famed for its panto but also offering comedy, music and plays (read all about its 50th year <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture-things-to-do/chippy-theatre-oxfordshire-anniversary-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>). </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>There&#8217;s all the usual villagey events at Kingham &#8211; an annual fete and dog show, fireworks nights, quizzes, running and cycle races and Kingham in Bloom contest, then quirky additions like a drive-in cinema night and a massive school reunion called Chill on the Hill. Also, with three pubs and two schools, plus a village green, it&#8217;s a social and buzzy place with plenty of chances to bump into your neighbours. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-price">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE</h2>



<p>Stiff drink time &#8211; average house prices were £1.65m last year, with terraced properties sold for an average of £817,500, and detached properties fetching £5.16m (you read that right!). Unlike much of the region, prices were up &#8211; 95% up on the previous year (though that could have been skewed by a couple of whopper sales and the Taylor Swift effect after the artist stayed near here during her UK <em>Eras</em> tour).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-20-1000x667.png" alt="Grade II Listed property in Kingham for sale with Knight Frank" class="wp-image-172154" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-20-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-20-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-20-400x267.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-20.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A 5 bed 17th Century beauty with double garage, terrace for entertaining and large inglenook fireplace. <a href="https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/kingham-chipping-norton-oxfordshire-ox7/stw012477188" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the market with Knight Frank for £2.6m</a>.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nurseries">NURSERIES </h2>



<p>In the village there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.kingham.oxon.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingham Primary School</a>, rated Good by Ofsted, which has a nursery part of the integrated Early Years Foundation Stage Unit.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schools">SCHOOLS </h2>



<p><a href="https://www.kingham.oxon.sch.uk/"><a href="https://www.kingham.oxon.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingham Primary School</a> </a>is a lovey rural state primary option of 200 kids with an engaged parent body that&#8217;s rated Outstanding by Ofsted, or there&#8217;s nearby <a href="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/kitebrook-preparatory-school/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kitebrook Prep</a>, a bucolic site for some 250 boys and girls aged 3 – 13 yrs, with a nurturing approach and impressive haul of destination schools. </p>



<p>For secondary, there&#8217;s <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/kingham-hill-school/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingham Hill School</a> up the road, a co-ed, non-selective independent Senior School set in 100 acres of Cotswolds countryside for kids 11 – 18 yrs. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>As well as bumping into celeb farmers like Alex James and Jeremy Clarkson, keep your eyes peeled for Lily Allen, the Beckhams, Amanda Holden and, of course, Daylesford owners and JCB-heirs, the Bamfords.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE </h2>



<p><a href="https://www.gwr.com/stations-and-destinations/stations/kingham" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingham train station</a> is one of the factors behind the village&#8217;s popularity and relatively high property prices compared to surrounding places to live. It&#8217;s served by Great Western trains to London Paddington (a mere 1hr 10 mins), via Oxford and Reading, or to Worcester in the other direction.</p>



<p><em>View the full <a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 300 Best Places to Live</a></em>.</p>


Kingham

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