Cotswolds Line Pub Explorations
Part 7 - Kingham
When the line first opened there was no station here. It was only when the (long-gone) Chipping Norton railway was established in 1855 that a new station was added to link this to the Oxford-Worcester route. Kingham station was originally called 'Chipping Norton Junction' until that branch line closed in 1962 and it took the name of the village a mile to the north of it.
They may have named the station after Kingham, but I made the executive decision not visit the village itself.
Neither the famous resident - Alex James of Blur - or either of the two gastro-pubs competing with one another for Michelin stars, were luring me there.
Instead, we walked in the other direction to Bledington, with it's Good Beer Guide pub.
Neither the famous resident - Alex James of Blur - or either of the two gastro-pubs competing with one another for Michelin stars, were luring me there.
Instead, we walked in the other direction to Bledington, with it's Good Beer Guide pub.
You can't really fault the setting. The Kings Head lies on the side of a picturesque village green.
The pub has been much expanded, but the oldest part dates back to the mid-1600's.
Last time we visited all seats inside were taken, so I was chuffed this time to arrive early and get a table close to the bar in the most atmospheric bit of the pub.
Here there is a big inglenook fireplace, flagstone floor and a grand old settle.
There was a robust choice of bitters on offer, from which I picked a lovely pint of 'What the Foxes Hat' brewed by the ever-reliable Church End Brewery.
We needed to drink-up before the 1:30 luncheon reservation for our table arrived.
Our plan was to follow the Oxfordshire Way footpath, which would take us southbound along the same route as the train line. This way we'd take in both Shipton and Ascott under Wychwood (both of which have stations which most services race through without stopping) and eventually to Charlbury.
We needed to drink-up before the 1:30 luncheon reservation for our table arrived.
Our plan was to follow the Oxfordshire Way footpath, which would take us southbound along the same route as the train line. This way we'd take in both Shipton and Ascott under Wychwood (both of which have stations which most services race through without stopping) and eventually to Charlbury.
We walked back through Bledington village, where pimping your thatch is all the rage...
After around 3½ miles, we reached Shipton-under-Wychwood, diverting from the path to find the nearest of the village pubs.
The Wychwood Inn (High Street, Shipton-Under-Wychwood, OX7 6BA - web)
Probably once quite a trad pub (back when it was the Red Horse Inn), it's now been refurbished and modernised throughout. 'Spoiled' is what I'm saying.
Evidence No.1 - the glazing-over of the old coaching entrance.
The rear extension of the pub is pretty bog-standard dining room fare, whilst the front bar has a bit of character, only to be ruined by some ghastly white leather high stools which look as if they belong in a cocktail bar.
Still, the beer was good, with the 'Rook Wood' by Clavell & Hind Brewery being an unusual find.
And the two couples who arrived at the next table struck up an acapella rendition of a Curiosity Killed the Cat song, which you don't get every day.
Still, the beer was good, with the 'Rook Wood' by Clavell & Hind Brewery being an unusual find.
And the two couples who arrived at the next table struck up an acapella rendition of a Curiosity Killed the Cat song, which you don't get every day.
Shipton also has the fantastically historic, and fantastically posh-looking Shaven Crown pub, which we passed as we made our way through the village in search of the more down-to-earth Lamb Inn.
The Lamb Inn (High Street, Shipton-Under-Wychwood, OX7 6DQ - web)
However, the solitary ale on the bar wasn't GK IPA, instead being a St Austell 'Tribute'. Still a nationwide-monster of a beer, but I will admit it was in fine condition at the Lamb and went down well.
I liked the Lamb - it had a simplistic rural charm, with thick stone walls, old wooden furniture and a real fire burning.
We were well behind schedule on our walk and had veered ¾ mile off the route to get to the Lamb, so it was time to get a move-on to ensure that we reached Charlbury before dusk.
Heading back to the path we passed the elegant looking Shipton Court, one of the largest early Jacobean houses in the country, built about 1603 by the Lacy family.
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| Not all pubs n beer on the blog y'see. |
A couple of miles on and we were in the neighbouring village of Ascott-under-Wychwood.
For completest sake, I should really have called in to The Swan, but it looked very smart - much more a restaurant than pub.
And with current restrictions (sign-in, table service, waiting for the beer to be delivered, waiting to pay...) there is no such thing as a swift half.
Instead we soldiered on to Charlbury - another 5½ miles without a pub!
We've drank in the pubs and the beer festival at Charlbury in wonderful weatehr in the past, when the village looks great basked in sunshine.
But here, you get the dreariest picture ever of the Rose and Crown...
Rose and Crown (Market Street, Charlbury, OX7 3PL - web)
Rose and Crown regular, the Beery Moose, could be found in the busy main bar - shame his epic crawl around every bar in Oxford has been rudely curtailed this year.
Fine beers and ciders could be found on the bar - a reduced range, but still the best to be found for miles around.
We followed the instructions and ordered by WhatsApp message, then were visited by a staff member 5 minutes later taking our order directly because the messaging system was down.
My reward for all the walking today was a great pint of Holden's 'Shropst*r' pale ale.
Covering this stretch of the line, I'm most of the way back to Oxford now, with Hanborough the only regular stop still to alight at and report on.
Rose and Crown regular, the Beery Moose, could be found in the busy main bar - shame his epic crawl around every bar in Oxford has been rudely curtailed this year.
Fine beers and ciders could be found on the bar - a reduced range, but still the best to be found for miles around.
We followed the instructions and ordered by WhatsApp message, then were visited by a staff member 5 minutes later taking our order directly because the messaging system was down.
My reward for all the walking today was a great pint of Holden's 'Shropst*r' pale ale.
Covering this stretch of the line, I'm most of the way back to Oxford now, with Hanborough the only regular stop still to alight at and report on.
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