Discover Witney through its traces of medieval buildings and settlement, the history of the wool trade, and paths by the water. These places and themes offer different starting points for planning your trip: from the town’s historic heritage to the lake, wet meadows and riverside paths.
Medieval traces and buildings
For most of its original extent, the Bishop of Winchester’s Palace in Witney survives as underground remains. The complex was roughly square, enclosed by walls and surrounded by a moat. The Church of St Mary the Virgin also offers a glimpse of different periods of construction: its origins date back to the 12th century, and it was rebuilt in the mid-13th century. The north transept contains effigies of a man and a woman dating from the 14th century.
In Cogges, a medieval complex surrounded by a moat preserves evidence of the development of a manor settlement through the Saxon, medieval and post-medieval periods. Cogges Manor House dates from the 13th century. The Walled Garden at Cogges Manor Farm offers a different perspective on the area, producing vegetables, herbs and fruit.
In the centre of Witney stands the Corn Exchange, a Grade II listed building constructed in 1863. The Witney & District Museum focuses on the history of Witney’s wool trade; admission is free. Together, the church, museum and Corn Exchange offer different historical perspectives: religious architecture, local industry and a 19th-century building.
Wool history on the paths through Witney
Two self-guided routes take in places associated with the wool and blanket trade. The Witney Wool and Blanket Trail is a 2.5-mile circular route around Witney that leads to buildings and places connected with the wool trade. The Blanket Hall Historical Walk runs for 1.5 miles through Witney and visits places associated with blanket making. The shorter walk therefore goes through the town, while the longer route is a circuit; each focuses on a different aspect of local industry.
Blanket Hall is also part of this history. It was built in 1721 as a separate building. Its name is also part of the Blanket Hall Historical Walk, which takes in places associated with blanket making. If you are interested in Witney’s wool history, you can distinguish between the Wool and Blanket Trail’s broader links to the trade and its buildings, and the Blanket Hall Historical Walk’s focus on blanket making.
Lake, wet meadows and paths along the Windrush
Witney Lake and Country Park includes a quiet lake, a tributary of the River Windrush and wet meadows. Quarter-mile markers around the lake make it suitable for walking or running. Information boards and rubbing plaques focus on the surrounding nature and offer another point of interest during a visit to the park.
For a riverside walk, a section of the Windrush Path is a good option: the 3 km route starts in the southern part of the Country Park, follows the River Windrush and leads to Hardwick. This section is clearly different from the two wool-history routes: here, the riverside landscape and destination of Hardwick are the focus, while the town walks take in historic places and the area’s former industry.
The stated route lengths help you compare their distances: 1.5 miles for the Blanket Hall Historical Walk, 2.5 miles for the Witney Wool and Blanket Trail circuit, and 3 km for the described section of the Windrush Path. Each route has a different focus: blanket making, the wool trade or the riverside landscape.
Discover more destinations: Faringdon, Coleshill, Ambrosden, Charlbury, Standlake, Church Handborough, Minster Lovell, Eynsham.
For the wider travel overview: Oxfordshire.
