Avenues, woodland and ponds shape Wychwood Wild Garden near the centre of Shipton-under-Wychwood. Together with St Mary’s Church and the Oxfordshire Way, they offer three distinct focal points for planning a trip: garden landscape, architectural history and walking. When making your choice, it can help to consider whether you would rather focus on a landscaped garden, a historic church building or a route through open countryside.
Garden landscape and trees
Wychwood Wild Garden covers 12.5 acres. Its avenues, woodland and ponds were laid out mostly in the 1860s. Together, they form a garden area with linear, wooded and water-based elements. The garden is said to have 38 different tree species; the species list may be updated in the future. This figure adds a botanical perspective to the historical one. You can therefore consider the garden’s design and the diversity of its trees as two distinct reasons to explore the grounds.
Church and garden history
The Church of St Mary stands on Church Street and is a parish church dating from the early 13th century. The building is listed as Grade I. This gives your trip a clear architectural and historical focus: here, the history of a church building takes centre stage. Shipton Court is listed in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II park and garden. Comparing the two highlights the difference between two types of heritage: a parish church on the one hand and a park and garden on the other.
The history of gardens here also includes the Japanese Garden at the New House in Shipton under Wychwood. A small team of gardeners from Japan created it around 1964–1965 under the direction of Mr Kasamoto and the modern abstract painter Viacheslav Atroshenko. Together with the avenues, woodland and ponds of Wychwood Wild Garden, laid out mostly in the 1860s, it offers a comparison between different garden projects from different periods. The church extends this historical span back to the early 13th century, allowing you to distinguish between historical themes by architectural type and date of origin.
Walking the Oxfordshire Way
The Oxfordshire Way links the National Landscapes of The Chilterns and The Cotswolds. An easy circular walk on the Oxfordshire Way passes through open countryside between two Wychwood villages. A circular route on the Oxfordshire Way is listed as 5 miles (8.05 km) and three hours. The link between the National Landscapes describes the broader geographical scope of the Oxfordshire Way; the easy circular walk between two Wychwood villages gives a more specific sense of the landscape along the route. These details answer different questions: where the trail connects on a broader scale and what a circular walk is like. The distance and duration add a specific time and route framework. Check the trail conditions before setting out, as path conditions can change.
Discover more destinations: North Stoke, Great Milton, Minster Lovell, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Horspath, Stratton Audley, Goring, Wallingford
For the broader travel overview: Oxfordshire.
