Kingston Blount lies below the Chiltern Hills and can be explored through specific local features: Kingston Brook, Kingston Green, historic houses and St John’s Chapel. Landscape, architecture and village history sit side by side. If you are weighing up this destination, these different themes can help you assess the place according to your interests.
Landscape and orientation
Kingston Blount is one of the villages that developed along the spring line below the Chiltern Hills. Kingston Brook runs from Kingston Hill via Brook Street to a ford at Lower Icknield Way. To the west of the village lies Kingston Green, a small area of rough grassland. The brook and the green therefore offer two distinct points of reference for the local landscape: one is a route running along named streets to the ford, the other a small grassland area west of the village.
The B4009 connects Kingston Blount with Crowell and Aston Rowant; the relevant road sections are called Crowell Road and Chinnor Road, respectively. If you are planning to drive along this route, check current traffic regulations and road conditions beforehand.
Houses and architectural history
Town Farmhouse is a Grade II listed farmhouse dating from the late 18th century. Red brick, a hipped slate roof and an open timber trellis porch define the building. Please respect private property when viewing it from outside.
The house at 2 Park Lane dates from the 17th century and is also Grade II listed. Its features include red brick, extensive timber framing with brick infill, and a thatched roof hipped at the right-hand end. Both houses share red brick, but differ in age and roof design: the farmhouse has a slate roof, while the house at 2 Park Lane has a thatched roof. This comparison brings the differences between the two surviving building types into focus.
Kingston Blount Conservation Area is designated as a Conservation Area; the designation dates from 11 December 1984. Another historical layer reaches back to the time of the Domesday Book: Kingston Blount was then called Chingestone and had 19 tenants. The name element Blount derives from the surname of the landowners who held the manor from 1237 until the early 15th century. This helps distinguish the earlier name from the later history of the manor’s owners.
St John’s Chapel and local discoveries
St John’s Chapel in Kingston Blount was consecrated in 1877. The brick building has a Broseley tile roof. The architect was E. A. Webb, who later became Sir Aston Webb; James Holland was the builder. A cross in the churchyard was erected as a war memorial in 1921. The year it was built, its materials, the people involved and its memorial provide different points of connection with the village’s history.
Lockdown Larder farm shop at Kingston Blount Farm also offers specific local products: its own meat, eggs, homemade cakes, other regional products and home-grown organic produce. Confirm current opening and sales arrangements, as well as availability, before travelling.
A surfaced, all-weather grass path has been created as a walking route between Kingston Blount and Crowell. It runs alongside the hedge next to the B4009 at the exit from Kingston Blount. Check local conditions before setting out.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Didcot, Clare, Beckley, Murcott, Bampton, Weston-On-The-Green, Church Handborough, Wantage
Return to the main travel guide: Oxfordshire.
