A Brief Introduction to Witney, Oxfordshire

Witney is a town in the English County ofdesigned the town hall.
Oxfordshire with a population of about twentySince the beginning of the Middle Ages, Witney
three thousand. It is about twelve miles awaywas a notable industrial centre. It was particularly
from Oxford, due west. Originally mentioned insignificant in the industry of wall and a great
the Domesday book, the town has long been ofnumber of woollen blankets were made there.
historic significance and boasts a number ofThis was partly due to the convenient location of
historical buildings.the town, right on the river from where the
Most notably, the town is home to a church ofwater would be drawn to help supply the
England parish church which was originally built infactories.
Norman times and has some unique andAt the height of its industriousness, Witney had
historically significant architecture. The church wasfive woollen blanket factories. It is also had a
added to it during the fourteenth century and alsonumber of breweries and malting although these
the fifteenth century, making it an interestingare now under redevelopment. The railway station
amalgamation of different eras of architecture.opened in 1861 but it was closed in 1970 and
The town started to grow to considerable sizeentirely dismantled.
during the Middle Ages, when a town market wasWitney came to fame in 2007 with the infamous
established and held every Saturday. Although thefloods in the United Kingdom. In fact, at the time,
town hall did not appear till the eighteenth century,the town saw the worst flooding in fifty years
the town was still fairly large other time. It isand many homes and businesses would severely
believed, although many consider it somewhat ofdamaged or even destroyed. Up to two hundred
an urban legend, that Sir Christopher Wrenproperties were flooded.