Bladon is a Cotswolds village in Oxfordshire perhaps most notable for being the burial place of Sir Winston Churchill.
Here you will find information for the history of Bladon, local attractions, the pubs, restaurants and places to stay in Bladon, shops, local services, public transport and what’s on.
Bladon in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds (not to be confused with Bladon in Northumberland) is situated about 8 miles from Oxford, just south of the world heritage site of Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds town of Woodstock. The village lies close to one of the Cotswolds’ prettiest rivers, the River Evenlode.
History of Bladon
The first written evidence of Bladon was recorded in 1086, but there is archaeological evidence of much earlier occupation in the area.
There is an Iron Age settlement known as Round Castle located at Bladon Heath and a Roman villa and farms in the immediate vicinity dating between the 1st and 4th centuries.
Bladon was a small Cotswolds estate village until after the second world war when the village began to attract commuters from Oxford and London creating an explosion of growth in the population.
Modern housing and estates were built during the period from 1950 up to the mid 1980’s with a mixture of private and local authority housing being developed.
Many of the older houses in the village date from as early as the 15th century to the 18th and 19th centuries and tend to be built of a rough looking rubble with slate roofs, and not the familiar honey-coloured stone of the Cotswolds cottages that you see pictured.
St Martin’s Church
St Martin’s church is built on the site of an earlier building which was demolished in the early part of the 19th century.
The present parish church was built in 1804 and like many Cotswolds churches was heavily modernised by the Victorians in 1891 to the designs of Sir Arthur Blomfield who left the church rather plain.
Sir Winston Churchill
Bladon is a place of pilgrimage. It was January 1965 that the Prime Minister often regarded as the greatest in British history, came back to the Cotswolds to be buried. Sir Winston Churchill was laid to rest, next to his parents and other members of the Spencer-Churchill families. in the small cemetery at St Martin’s church.
He is buried not far from his birthplace and his family’s ancestral home, nearby Blenheim Palace.
Getting Here
The village of Bladon is located in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, off the A4095 part way between Witney and Woodstock.
It’s just on the south eastern edge of Blenheim Park and adjacent to Oxford International airport.
The nearest railway station is at Long Hanborough on the Cotswolds line with services operated by First Great Western.
Bus services connecting Bladon are:
- 8 Bladon – Oxford RH Transport Service’s
- 42 Witney – Woodstock Stagecoach Oxford
- 49 Brimfield – Oxford Heyfordian Travel
- 203 Bladon – Kidlington RH Transport Service’s
- 242 Woodstock – Hanborough RH Transport Service’s
Read our dedicated article for more information on getting to the Cotswolds.
Parking
If you wish to visit Bladon or Sir Winston Churchill’s grave, please do park with consideration. There are no dedicated car parking facilities in Bladon.
Local Amenities
The White House pub is the local community pub, serving the village. A pub said to have been frequented by Sir Winston Churchill himself. It offers food and drink – you can sit and have a pint where Churchill himself would have once sat.
There are also a couple of holiday cottages in Bladon, should you wish to stay in the village itself. Its location is ideal for visiting Blenheim, Oxford, Woodstock and other attractions in the Oxfordshire area, without the hustle and bustle of the more popular locations.