Oxfordshire blends historic university city charm with scenic countryside and heritage sites.
Canons Ashby House is a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor house located in Northamptonshire, featuring notable Jacobean plasterwork, historic family interiors, formal gardens, and the remains of a medieval priory church. It combines rich history with architectural and artistic heritage.
16 Oct (next Friday)
A guided after-hours tour of Canons Ashby mansion led by the House and Collections Officer and an experienced House Guide. Attendees will see spaces and objects not usually open to visitors and hear about conservation work, followed by a cream tea.
Bicester Village is a premier luxury outlet shopping centre in Oxfordshire featuring over 150 boutiques, pedestrianised streets, and various dining options, attracting millions of visitors annually including many international tourists.
Bicester is a historic market town in Oxfordshire known for its conservation area, vibrant independent shops, and the popular Bicester Village shopping centre. It offers good transport connections, walking-friendly streets, and significant historical and cultural sites.
Golden Cross is a historic shopping arcade in central Oxford featuring 15th century buildings with original timber, wall paintings, and a courtyard leading to the Covered Market, offering retail shops and dining including a Pizza Express.
Deddington Castle is a large earthwork site of an 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle in Oxfordshire, featuring visible ramparts and mounds, now serving as a public park and nature walk managed by English Heritage and the local parish council.
Basildon Park is a Grade I listed Palladian country house in Berkshire featuring neoclassical interiors and extensive landscaped grounds. Visitors can explore both the grand historic interiors and the outdoor parkland, with exhibits including a nostalgic 1950s kitchen. The house has been restored and is open to the public, offering a rich glimpse into English country house history and architecture. It has also served as a location for several notable films.
The Rollright Stones is a complex of three prehistoric megalithic monuments in Oxfordshire, England, including a stone circle, dolmen, and monolith, known for their archaeological importance and folkloric significance. The site is managed by the Rollright Trust and attracts visitors interested in history, archaeology, and contemporary Pagan practices.
Waddesdon Manor is a Grade I listed Neo-Renaissance country house in Buckinghamshire, England, managed by the National Trust and owned by the Rothschild Foundation. It features remarkable art collections, formal gardens, an aviary, and historic wine cellars, with public access including exhibitions, dining, and child-friendly activities.
7–11 Oct, 14–18 Oct…
An interactive display explores the history and family tree of the Rothschild family, including their connections to Waddesdon Manor and their interests in art, horticulture, nature and sustainability.
Clarendon Centre is a central Oxford shopping centre offering a variety of retail stores and food outlets in a modern indoor environment, built on a historic site with medieval archaeological discoveries.
Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, offers a large indoor shopping experience with over 100 stores, a waterfront area with restaurants, cinema, bowling, arcade, and a climbing facility, located beside the Oxford Canal near cultural attractions.
Banbury is a historic market town in Oxfordshire with a rich heritage, notable motorsport connections, cultural venues, and scenic parks along the River Cherwell.
Buscot Park is an 18th-century neoclassical country house near Faringdon, Oxfordshire, surrounded by extensive formal gardens, woodland, and lakes. It houses a notable art collection including works by Rembrandt and Edward Burne-Jones. The estate is open to the public each summer under the National Trust and offers a blend of historic interiors and outdoor landscapes.
10 Oct (this Saturday)
A guided tour around Coleshill explores the lost Coleshill House, the estate’s secret Second World War training history and the former Model Farm, now home to the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre. The tour includes a walk of approximately 1 km and a chance to look around an exhibition afterwards.
Abingdon County Hall Museum is a local history museum housed in a Grade I listed Baroque style County Hall building in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, featuring permanent and rotating exhibits including local archaeology and historic vehicle displays, plus a museum café for visitors.
Abingdon-on-Thames is a historic market town in Oxfordshire known for its rich archaeological heritage, historic abbey remains, annual traditional fairs, and cultural contributions including the birthplace of the band Radiohead.
Stowe Gardens in Buckinghamshire are a prestigious English landscape garden featuring extensive parkland, architectural monuments, classical temples, and historical structures designed by prominent 18th-century architects and gardeners. Managed by the National Trust, the gardens offer a significant outdoor visitor experience with preserved landscapes and classical architecture, a visitor centre, and a rich heritage of garden design.
15 Oct (next Thursday)
Michael Bevington gives a lecture on Sir John Vanbrugh’s work at Stowe, including archaeological evidence for his buildings and his contribution to the landscape vision developed with Lord Cobham and Charles Bridgeman. The 60-minute talk is followed by audience questions.
Greys Court is a Tudor country house with historic interiors and extensive gardens featuring a medieval castle tower, a walled garden with a maze, and ornamental plants, open to the public under the National Trust.
Westgate Oxford is a large shopping centre in Oxford featuring over 100 shops, restaurants, and leisure facilities including a John Lewis department store and a cinema, with rooftop dining and public spaces.