The story of Bloxham from past to present

Our background

Bloxham has long been associated with agriculture and evidence has been found of small Romano-British agricultural communities within the parish. The name appears to have derived from the name Blocc. During the Saxon invasions, the family of Blocc established a settlement on both sides of the brook. This was then known as Blocc’s ham (home), eventually becoming Bloxham, one of the early Saxon villages in the area.

After the Norman Conquest, the King held Bloxham which became a royal manor. The first stone church was then built and its present size and grandeur is considered to owe much to the links with the noblemen at court. The village grew and evolved over the years, but remained a self-contained community until the early 20th century.

The railway came to Bloxham in 1887. The station was on a branch line from Banbury to Cheltenham but operated for only 75 years. The last passenger train left the village in 1951 and the last goods train passed through eleven years later in 1962. The station was demolished in 1964.