Bladon is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the River Glyme about northwest of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, England. It is where Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

is buried. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 898.

Places of worship

St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church was originally 11th or 12th century, and its south porch had a Norman doorway. However, the old church was demolished in 1802 and a new building completed in 1804. This in turn was completely rebuilt in 1891 to designs by the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architect A.W. Blomfield. The parish of St Martin's includes

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

, the family seat of the Duke of Marlborough. Most members of the Spencer-Churchill family are buried in St Martin's parish churchyard at Bladon; only the Dukes and Duchesses are interred in the Blenheim Palace chapel. Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of

, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940–45 and again 1951–55. Like his parents, he was buried in St. Martin's parish churchyard after his death, in 1965; his wife

Clementine A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who f ...

was buried in the same grave after her death 12 years later.

Methodist church

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

congregation was established in Bladon by 1820 and built its first chapel in 1843. In 1877, a new chapel was built copying the Early English style of the 13th century. It is now Bladon Methodist Church and belongs to the Oxford Methodist Circuit.

School

In 1858 the Duchess of Marlborough, wife of the 7th Duke, provided a new

building to found a school in Bladon. The building was enlarged in 1890. It was known as the Duchess of Marlborough's school, but in 1937 its ownership was transferred from the Duchy of Marlborough to Bladon

parochial church council A parochial church council (PCC) is the executive committee of a Church of England parish and consists of clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the laity. It has its origins in the vestry committee, which looke ...

. In 1940 it was reorganised as a junior school, with most senior pupils from Bladon thereafter going to secondary school in Woodstock. Since 1954 the school has been a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

primary school.

Amenities

Bladon has one

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, the White House, which is now owned by the community. Stagecoach West route S7 serves Bladon seven days a week. Buses run twice an hour to

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. History The Toponymy, place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest kno ...

via

Long Hanborough Long Hanborough is a village in Hanborough Civil parishes in England, civil parish, about northeast of Witney in West Oxfordshire, England. The village is the major settlement in Hanborough parish. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census re ...

in one direction, and to

via

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

, Kidlington, and in the other.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Bladon Parish Council
* {{authority control Civil parishes in Oxfordshire Villages in Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire District