Witney
"Witney" is also the name of a UK Parliament constituency.Witney is a town (population: 22,765 -
2001 census) in
Oxfordshire,
England, 12 miles west of
Oxford and just north of the
A40 trunk road.
Famous people include:
David Cameron,
Member of Parliament (MP) for Witney.
Andrew Logan, artist born in Witney.
Douglas Hurd, ex-conservative MP for Witney.
Alan Dapre, writer of Children's TV characters: Brum, Boohbah & Blips
Shaun Woodward,
Member of Parliament ex-conservative then labour MP for Witney, then MP for St Helens South
The small town has been famous for its blankets since the Middle Ages. The water for the production of these blankets is drawn from the
River Windrush, which was believed to be the secret of Witney's high quality blankets. At one time, there were five blanket factories in the town but, with the closure of the largest blanket maker
Early's, a few years ago, the town's blanket industry has completely ceased to exist.
In recent years, the town has expanded rapidly (with the building of the Madley Park housing estate), but has still retained its charms as a market town on the edge of the
Cotswolds. The market dates back to the Middle Ages, and the market square, at the top of the High Street, features one of the town's most distinctive landmarks: the
Buttercross, so called because people from neighbouring towns would gather there to buy butter and eggs. The building is
medieval but features a clock that was added in
1683. Thursday is the traditional market day but Saturday also sees a market taking place. The other main landmark is the Parish Church of
St Mary's which was built in the
13th century and is a fine example of one of several large churches in the area associated with the Medieval wool trade. The town also has a fine Methodist chapel which stands in the middle of the High Street.
The town hall dates from the
17th century and, according to local legend, was designed by
Sir Christopher Wren, although there is little evidence to support this claim.
West End, on the road to Hailey, is one of Britain's best preserved streets, and was the inspiration for the song
Just an Old Fashioned House in an Old Fashioned Street. Although it's called West End, it's actually on the northern side of the Town and gets its name from the days, many years ago, when it was not actually in Witney Parish but at the west end of the adjoining Hailey village church parish.
For many years, Witney had a famous brewery - Clinch and Co., which was later taken over by Courage, who closed down the brewing operation. However, in recent years, on the site of the old brewery, brewing was revived by the establishment of a micro brewery now known as the
Wychwood Brewery, whose most well-known beer, Hobgoblin, stands alongside their other speciality ales which can be found across Europe.
Witney has two splendid museums -
Cogges Manor Farm Museum, housed in the old manor house of Cogges, which is dedicated to farming and countryside history and the Witney and District Museum which has many artifacts and documents covering the history of the town.
Witney is known as a Conservative
safe seat, and as such has been the constituency for both Douglas Hurd and the current leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron. This clear party preference led to controversy when
Shaun Woodward was appointed to replace the retiring Hurd as Conservative candidate. He was duly elected, but switched alleigance to the
Labour Party on them winning the election. This resulted in Witney being a Labour seat until the next election, when Woodward stood as a Labour candidate elsewhere.
Nearby settlements include
Abingdon,
Bampton,
Bicester,
Burford,
Carterton,
Charlbury,
Chipping Norton,
Cirencester,
Faringdon,
Oxford,
Swindon, and
Wantage.
Witney has two successful secondary schools - The Henry Box School and Wood Green School. Henry Box standing second in the exam tables over Oxfordshire.
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David Cameron Conservative MP representing Witney in
Parliament*
Andrew Logan, artist, born & raised in Witney.
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West Oxfordshire District*
Witney - The largest Witney related website includes Witney attractions, history, accommodation and photographs
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Witney News - News and gossip from Witney
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Witney Jobs - Jobs in the Witney area
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Witney -
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article
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Witney Artists Showing art from local artists
