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01865 872334
Holton is a small rural village, situated between the A40 and M40 (Junction 8) some five miles east of Oxford.
The village history dates back to the Domesday records. Holton Church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, dates from the 12th Century. General Fairfax leader of the Parliamentary forces used Holton Park’s moated manor house as his headquarters during the final siege of Oxford and in 1646 General Ireton married Bridget Cromwell at Holton Park in the presence of her father Oliver Cromwell, whose signature is in the Church Register.
Holton Park estate was a former deer park and site of a medieval manor and moat, the manor being replaced in 1801 by a stone Gothic style building with characteristic castellated parapets. The moat still remains but no part of the original medieval building stands and the park wall is still a significant feature of the village. Included now within Holton Park are Wheatley Park School, the Park Sports Centre and the Oxfordshire County Library headquarters.
Oxford Brookes University Wheatley Campus is also located on part of the Holton Park estate within the boundary of the Parish of Holton.
Holton Village Hall has a large modern main hall, a small separate meeting room, fully equipped kitchen, licensed bar and wi-fi connection. There is a large car park and adjacent orchard for villagers to enjoy. The Hall is used by numerous village activities, for example Bridge Club, Table Tennis Club, Holton Players drama group, W.I. and Keep Fit classes. The Hall is also available for private bookings.
Holton Parish Council meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of the month (except August) in Holton Village Hall committee room. The meetings are open to members of the public and there is an Open Forum session.
All communications with Holton Parish Council should be made via the Clerk at clerk@holtonparishcouncil.org.uk or on 01865 872334.
All Planning Applications can be viewed on the South Oxfordshire District Council website or by prior arrangement with the clerk.
Latest Parish News
Churchyard Extension
05
CHURCHYARD EXTENSION TO ST BARTHOLOMEW’S, HOLTON
There are no words to describe the debt of gratitude owed to Richard and Paul Hunt, former and current residents of the village respectively for their amazing gift of land to extend the churchyard at St Bartholomew’s thus enabling adequate burial space for many years to come.
The story began back in 2018 when the possibility of transferring some land was first mooted. Since then we have negotiated the vagaries of the legal system and the intricacies of administrative detail to eventually arrive at the transfer of the land to the Church, which was completed recently. It does not seem possible that it has taken so many years to get to this stage but there have been a number of challenges to overcome along the way. Perseverance by one of our Parish Councillors has brought about the successful acquisition of the land by the Church.
Since the beginning of this odyssey the Parish Council have supported the project and have assisted with obtaining planning permission for change of use which required archaeological and arboricultural surveys as well as funding legal, survey and planning fees. The Parish Council is committed to providing assistance to the Church to carry out the necessary clearance and wall-building work to integrate the new land with the existing churchyard and will try to help in any way we can.
The Church, the Parish Council and the village in general are grateful for the exceptional generosity of Richard and Paul and we will find a way to appropriately recognise their gift.
Holton Parish Council July 2024