BUCKLAND
Buckland
is a very attractive village of pretty stone cottages, many with thatched roofs,
about a mile south of the River Thames. Buckland
is larger than some of the
nearby villages and was built as an estate village. Until the late 20th
century nearly all the houses and land in Buckland were
in one ownership and, up to the Second World War, most
people who lived in the village worked on the estate in
one way or another.
To
the west of the village is Buckland House, built in 1757
by Sir Robert Throckmorton and clearly visble from the
road. It was built in the Palladium style and has been
described as the most splendid Georgian house in the country.
The house stands in landscaped grounds which include a
deer park and two lakes. Nearby is the earlier manor house,
which was turned into stables and grooms quarters when
the new Buckland House was built. Although at one time
Buckland House housed a college of Oxford University it
is now once again used for residential purposes and has
been extensively restored since 2004.
The
present Grade I listed Church of St. Mary the Virgin replaced an earlier
Saxon church. The nave is 12th century and other parts
of the church, including the tower, are 13th century. For the history and full information about the Church of St. Mary the Virgin click here.
Buckland
is just off the A420 Oxford
to Swindon road roughly midway between Faringdon and the village of Kingston Bagpuize.