We have compiled a list of Historic Heritage Sites in Oxfordshire to visit during your stay. We hope the information about the history sites in Oxfordshire helps you with your holiday planning.
1. Oxford Castle Unlocked - New Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1AY - Tel No: 01865 260666
This historic site served as a prison for over 900 years, from 1071 to 1996. Currently, it serves as a piece of living history, with costumed guides conducting tours through the site. Pre-booking is recommended. On your tour you will see the Saxon St. George's Tower, an underground crypt, and many hands-on displays. The castle also runs regular 'after-dark' events, with lamplight and ghost tours.
2. North Leigh Roman Villa - Witney, Oxfordshire , OX29 8ER - Tel No: 08703 331181
East of Witney in the Costwolds can be found a partly-exposed floor plan of a Roman villa. More than one mosaic has been unearthed at this site. The villa originally consisted of at least 60 rooms. The surviving foundations tell the story of the Roman household that once lived there, with formal reception area, kitchens, and the all-important baths. This site is reached by walking some 600 meters along an unsurfaced track from the nearby village of North Leigh.
3. Museum of Oxford - St Aldate's, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1DZ - Tel No: 01865 252761
Oxford has a long, varied, and rich history, and the mission of this museum is to collect and preserve it. Medieval sieges and plagues, Civil War stories, Victorian literary giants, and, of course, the University itself: Oxford has been many things at many times, but never has it been content to stay in the background of history. Admission to the museum is free, though donations are welcome.
A site with as storied a history as that of the Dukes of Marlborough who have lived there through the years, Blenheim Palace is highly deserving of its status as a World Heritage site. Among its many claims to fame, it was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill in 1874. Tours of the palace and its several interactive exhibits run approximately every 20 minutes, and they need not be booked in advance.
5. Uffington Castle - White Horse and Dragon Hill - Dragon Hill Road, Woolstone, Oxfordshire , SN7 7QJ - Tel No: 01793 762209
The name of Uffington is best known for the Uffington White Horse, an impressive carved outline of chalk dating back at least 1000 and possibly as much as 3000 years. Dragon Hill is a nearby landform upon which, legend would have it, St. George slew his dragon. The remnants of an Iron Age hill fort called Uffington Castle - now just sarsen stones and box ramparts - are also near this area.
Touted for years as one of England's most beautiful and romantic houses, Broughton Castle had its beginnings in the early 14th century. Today it serves as a treasury of the last several centuries of architecture and design, and is a must-see.
7. Chastleton House - Chastleton, Nr Moreton-in-Marsh, Oxfordshire, GL56 0SU - Tel No: 01494 755560
This 400-year-old house is as close as we are likely to come to a snapshot into the 17th century, as few changes or updates have been made to the house since its initial construction. Come see the house and its furnishings - and not roped off or behind barriers. Don't miss the topiary in the gardens!
