Deddington, Oxfordshire

This is Deddington, which is a large village about five miles south of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The photo was taken from the roof of the church tower and shows the main square with the monthly farmers’ market in full swing.

There has been a community here for at least 1,000 years. It is mentioned in Domesday Book as Dadintone, which was owned at the time by Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux who was a half-brother of William the Conqueror. Odo built a castle, the site of which can still be seen with the banks that surrounded the large outer bailey, but not a single stone remains in place.

At the time of the Domesday survey (which was commissioned in 1087) Deddington had “land for 30 ploughs, 140 acres of meadow and 30 acres of pasture”. There were three mills that produced an annual income of 41 shillings and supplied 100 eels.

Local produce today, to judge by what was on offer at the market, is a bit more varied. One stall, for example, specialised in low-sugar chocolate made with unusual flavours including lavender and vanilla. Another stall sold nothing but mealworms as bird food – the stallholder bred them as a sideline when not working at the local Co-op store!

The houses are typical of this area, being built in light brown Cotswold stone. These days they sell for prices that are well above the national average, given their desirable location (only ten miles north of Oxford) and the extremely attractive nature of the surrounding area.

The fire engine was not on duty, being there merely as a bit of publicity for the local Fire Service and to give local children a chance to sit behind the steering wheel and try on a fireman’s helmet! 

© John Welford