Witney

Witney is a prosperous market town in the Windrush valley in west Oxfordshire, long associated with blanket and textile manufacturing. The town's history as a weaving centre stretches back to the thirteenth century, and by the eighteenth century the Witney blanket trade was supplying the world — including the North American fur trade and the Hudson's Bay Company. Several of the grand mill owners' houses along Witney's main streets remain as evidence of the wealth this industry generated.

The town centre retains considerable charm, centred on the elongated Buttercross and the Blanket Hall — a fine early eighteenth-century building that once regulated the town's blanket trade. The Church of St Mary the Virgin stands at the end of Church Green, one of the most attractive open spaces in west Oxfordshire, flanked by Georgian townhouses and mature lime trees. The Wednesday and Saturday markets continue a tradition stretching back to 1141.

Witney sits on the edge of the Cotswolds AONB, with the Windrush valley providing beautiful walking country to the north and west. The nearby villages of Minster Lovell, Burford and Lechlade are all within easy reach, making Witney a practical base for exploring the southern Oxfordshire Cotswolds. The town has a good range of independent shops, cafes and restaurants alongside its weekly market.