| This sundial trail was compiled by Piers Nicholson,and
covers the county to the north of Oxford. There is a separate trail for
the City of Oxford which has some very fine
public sundials as well as the excellent "Museum of the History of Science"
containing a magnificent collection of portable sundials from all countries
of the world. You may also be interest in Oxford
Sundials by Margaret Stanier which gives colour photographs and descriptions
of 13 dials in the City. Oxford also contains an
This trails starts in the north of the county near Banbury.
Wroxton
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 The
village of Wroxton is 2 miles outside Banbury on the A422 to Stratford-on-Avon,
and should be called the "sundial capital of Oxfordshire" since
it has many more sundials than any other village in the country.
On a crossroads just to the west of the village is a very fine
sundial with 4 faces pointing north, south, east and west. Underneath
are carved stone hands pointing the way to London, Banbury and
other places.
There is also a dial on the south wall of Wroxton church, and nearby
a small ceramic sundial in the wall of the Old Workshop. Further
down the street, the North Arms has a fine old dial with the motto
"Sic transit Gloria mundi" (Thus passes the glory of the world)
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Further along by the duck pond (which has a thatched duck house on a little
island in the middle) there is a fine painted dial with the initials CSE
and the date 1752 on the Old Post Office. A few doors up the street is
the Sundial Farmhouse, which has had a dial for hundreds of years; the
present one is modern and unfortunately does not tell the right time.
There is one more dial in Wroxton, on a house called Crossways on your
left which you can just see from the road as you leave the village towards
Banbury
Banbury
There is an old black-and-white half-timbered building in the High Street
in the pedestrianised centre of Banbury, with some lovely old plasterwork.
There is an old painted wooden dial, now with much of its paint peeling,
but still very beautiful.
Bodicote
Bodicote is just off the A4260 south of Banbury, and is now almost a suburb.
The church has a good-looking lead dial high up on its south wall. Travelling
south again on the A4260, it is worth making a diversion along the B4031
(though it is a bit off the route, the village of
Great Tew
which for many years was in a kind of "time warp". It is now being sympathetically
restored by its new owners. The church is down a tree-lined walk, and
has a sundial with a great gnomon but no hour lines on the porch. Inside,
there are some very interesting medieval paintings. Returning eastwards,
just across the A4260 is the small village of
Middle Aston
Home Farm House has a sundial on its south gable, probably dating from
the 17th century. The owners, Glen and Caroline Parsons, also do an excellent
bed-and-breakfast. It is the ideal base for visits to Oxford, Stratford,
and all the places listed in this sundial trail. Their telephone number
if (+44) 1869 340 666
Steeple Aston
This large village is a couple of miles to the south, and the church has
two vertical dials at right angles on the skyline of the south wall, so
that you can tell the time all day.
Rousham
A mile to the south, you cross the B4030 at traffic lights, and continue
straight on following the signs to Rousham House. This is a very fine
country home built in 1635 and enlarged in 1730, when the gardens were
laid out by William Kent. There is a sundial in the grounds.
Lower Heyford
Back to the traffic lights and turn right. You cross the Oxford Canal
with its colourful narrow boats, and the village of Lower Heyford is just
off the road to the left. The church has a modern dial with the motto
"Nil nisi coelestio p.a dio"
Bicester
Bicester is a pleasant little market town. One of the houses in the
market place has a nice modern sundial
Weston on the Green
Leaving Bicester by the busy A41, the village of Weston on the Green
is just off to the right after 3 miles or so. The Chequers pub is nearly
facing you as you come off the slip road. It has a nice dial, though
somewhat neglected now, outside the main door. There is also a sundial
on the church in the village. Following the narrow road on from the
church, you come to the village of
Bletchington.
The church has a weathered stone dial from the 17th century on the south
wall. Follow the B4027 west for a few miles and then turn south for
Woodstock
which has a number of sundials. There is one high up on the south wall
of the church, and an interesting modern sundial angled slightly out from
the wall so it faces due south in an alcove on the wall of the Town Hall
at the end of the main square.
Blenheim Palace
is well worth an extended visit for the beauty of its landscape, the splendour
of the house, and its historic associations. There is a "human gnomon"
analemmatic sundial in the middle of the maze in the pleasure gardens.
Follow the A44 north out of Woodstock; the village of
Wootton
is just off it to the right. There is a memorial to the villagers who
fell in the first world war, which has a south facing sundial, and another
more ancient sundial, which is just being restored, over the door of
the church. Continue westward and join the B4437 to
Charlbury
 which
has an interesting dial dated 1776 over the church door. Charlbury is
a thriving market town with a good train service. Retrace your path of
the B4437 and then turn right through Stonesfield to
Combe
This is an interesting village, rather isolated being at the back of the
Blenheim Estate, but very peaceful and tranquil, with an interesting layout
and some fine houses. The church has a sundial high up on its south wall
There are also many fine sundials in the city
of Oxford
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