Stanford in the Vale
| Stanford in the Vale | |
 St. Denys parish church |
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  Stanford in the Vale |
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| Population | 2,093 (2011 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU342935 |
| Civil parish | Stanford in the Vale |
| District | Vale of White Horse |
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Faringdon |
| Postcode district | SN7 |
| Dialling code | 01367 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wantage |
| Website | Stanford in the Vale |
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Coordinates: 51°37′59″N 1°29′56″W / 51.633°N 1.499°W
Stanford in the Vale is a large rural English village with a clustered centre 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Faringdon and 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. Stanford has a civil parish of the same name and was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred its district to Oxfordshire.
Geography
Stanford is on the A417 road. It has one church, one primary school, one preschool, one public house, shops and businesses, as well as numerous clubs and societies. The village is built on soil-clad Corallian Limestone, which in patches comes close to the surface through erosion.
All outlying parts of the village are covered by farming interspersed with woodland and other land-intensive industries except for Bow which, forms technically a hamlet of the village almost contiguous to the village's core (directly to its north). Stanford in the Vale has a clustered centre and is a civil parish 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Faringdon and 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Wantage.[2] The whole district was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.[3]
Economy
The following statistics are taken from the 2011 census:
The largest category of occupation in Stanford in the Vale is that of professional occupations (151 of 1041 workers). In the more subdivided categorization of workers into industries, the largest category was that of motor-related industries (including trade of motor vehicles) (151 of 1041 workers). This was followed, in order, by Human Health and Social Work, Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities (Persons) and by Education as the other industries. With between 88 and 95 workers, Construction and Manufacturing were industries in which other villagers at the date of that census tended to work.
Within the parish bounds is some quarrying activity, extracting various grades of sand and gravel, however only two people were employed in mining and quarrying (0.2% of the working population) — the workings in the near northwest of the civil parish are dormant.
History
Stanford in the Vale takes its name from the ancient crossing of the River Ock, which flows (E by NE) into the River Thames at Abingdon. In Saxon times the crossing was known as "stony ford". It is often assumed that this ford once served where the bridge now spans the river's two channels on the A417, by Stanford Mill,[4] however others speculate that it was a crossing of Frogmore Brook which flows into the Ock immediately south-east of the village's typical clustered development. In much of the mediaeval period, the village rivalled Abingdon as a market town, having the unusual feature of two village greens. During 1644 and 1645, the English Civil War hosted conflicts a few miles to the north, in Faringdon and in Radcot (a strategic river crossing over the Thames). According to oral history Cromwell’s cavalry was billeted in the village.
A serious fire affecting a row of thatched cottages on the village green featured in UK news in August 2005.[5]
Landmarks
The 19th century restored medieval Church of England parish church of Saint Denys is Grade I listed and dominates Church Green which is surrounded by the primary school and homes — it shares the space with the Grade II* listed manor house.[6][7]
Transport
Stanford has had its own community bus service, set up and operated by volunteers, since 1982. It provides regular services to the local towns of Faringdon and Wantage, and also serves the surrounding villages Lyford, Denchworth, West Challow, Hatford, Gainfield, Shellingford and Charney Bassett.
A regular bus service to Wantage and Faringdon is also provided by RH Transport.
Bordering settlements
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Faringdon Littleworth |
Hatford | across Gainfield, Hatford Pusey |
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| Shellingford |  |
Charney Bassett Goosey | ||
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 | ||||
| Shellingford Baulking |
Goosey Baulking |
Goosey |
Notable people
The poet Pam Ayres was born in the village in 1947. Her parents lived on the road called Van Diemans.
The English biographer Winifred Gérin lived here in the 1970s.
Twinning
The village has been twinned with Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis in Lower Normandy, France since 1989.
References
- ↑ "Area: Stanford in the Vale CP (Parish): Parish Headcounts". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ↑ Grid Reference Finder
- ↑ See list of Berkshire boundary changes
- ↑ Stanford Mill Farmhouse - Grade II listing of replacement building to the mill that dates to 1730 - Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1182937)". National Heritage List for England.
- ↑ Stanford in the Vale: Church Green Cottage Fire 21/8/2005
- ↑ Church of Saint Denys - Grade I listing Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1048607)". National Heritage List for England.
- ↑ Manor house - Grade II* listing Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1368451)". National Heritage List for England.
Further reading
- Page, W.H.; Ditchfield, P.H., eds. (1924). A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 478–485.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 226–227.
- Ayres, Pam (2011). The Necessary Aptitude. A Memoir. Ebury Press.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stanford in the Vale. |
