Coordinates: 51°38′N 1°30′W / 51.64°N 1.50°W
| Stanford in the Vale | |
|
|
|
  Stanford in the Vale shown within Oxfordshire |
|
| Population | 2,000 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Stanford in the Vale |
| District | Vale of White Horse |
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Faringdon |
| Postcode district | SN7 |
| Dialling code | 01367 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wantage |
| List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire | |
Stanford in the Vale is a village in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Until the administrative county boundary changes of 1974, the village was in Berkshire.
Contents |
Geography
Stanford is on the A417 road, 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Wantage. It has two churches, one primary school, two pubs, shops and businesses, as well as numerous clubs and societies. The Church of England parish church of Saint Denys dominates Church Green. The village is built on Corallian Limestone and there is major quarrying activity, extracting sands and gravels.
History
Stanford in the Vale takes its name from the ancient crossing of the River Ock, which flows 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 on the A417, near Stanford Mill, however others speculate that it was actually a crossing of Frogmore Brook. In mediaeval times, the village rivalled Abingdon as a market centre, having the unusual feature of two village greens. During 1644 and 1645, the English Civil War came to Faringdon and Radcot (a strategic river crossing over the Thames). According to local legend, Cromwell’s Cavalry was billeted in the village.
Events worthy of record
 |
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2009) |
- The poet Pam Ayres was born in the village in 1947.
- The village was twinned with Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis (France) in 1989.
- Stanford in the Vale featured on national UK news in August 2005 because of a serious fire affecting a row of thatched cottages on the village green. [1]
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.
External links
- Stanford in the Vale — community website
- Civil War detail
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
