Duns Tew brings together several periods of architectural history and a restored landscape in a former sandstone quarry. The themes are easy to distinguish: religious and manor-house architecture on the one hand, and geology and the restored landscape on the other. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you are more interested in historic architecture or in the landscape of the former quarry.
Church and architectural history
St Mary Magdalene Church preserves its reinserted south doorway, the font and several late-medieval architectural features. Here, the focus is on religious furnishings and older building elements—a different emphasis from the manor-house architecture of the estates in Duns Tew.
Duns Tew Manor House dates from around 1710 and was probably built for Robert Dashwood. It was altered and extended in the 19th century. The main building is symmetrical and has five bays. Rusticated quoins, a storey band and a moulded wooden eaves cornice add detail to the facade. The five bays arrange the windows regularly; the cornices emphasise horizontal lines, while the quoins highlight the building’s corners. The manor house also includes attached service wings and an octagonal brick dairy.
Home Farmhouse adds further historic details to this picture. It is a former manor house and was once the manor house of the Raves family. A datestone gives the date as 1694 or 1624; parts of the building fabric date from the early 18th century. Between the first-floor windows is a dovecote with three rows. The alternative reading of the datestone and the information about the building fabric should be understood as separate clues to the building’s history.
The landscape of Duns Tew West
The restoration of the former sandstone quarry at Duns Tew West created a mosaic of dry acidic and calcareous grassland, bare ground and a pond that holds water seasonally. The landscape therefore brings together different soil and vegetation types rather than forming a single uniform grassland. There is also a 365-metre-long sand face designated as a geological SSSI. This area offers a different focus from the church and house architecture: here, the geological formation and the various elements of the restored landscape take centre stage.
Walks and choosing a route
Two route descriptions are based on walks recorded in October 2017. For the shorter walk, the description names the White Horse in Duns Tew as the starting point and follows a river valley. The longer Duns Tew and Middle Barton Walk can also start at the White Horse. The two descriptions therefore differ in that the shorter route is explicitly said to follow a river valley, while the longer route is identified by name. If you use either route for planning, check the route details against current information before setting out.
The architectural heritage and the former quarry landscape offer different points of interest during a stay in Duns Tew. Visitors primarily interested in architecture will find specific details at the church, manor house and Home Farmhouse; those who prefer geology and restored landscapes can focus on the sand face and the landscape mosaic. The two walks add a choice of routes to these themes, with a named starting point and, for the shorter walk, a river valley as a described feature.
Discover more destinations: Long Wittenham, Clifton Hampden, Steventon, Kidlington, Bampton, Standlake, Abingdon, Milcombe
For the wider travel overview: Oxfordshire.
