Woolstone, Oxfordshire
| Woolstone | |
|---|---|
 Woolstone
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| Woolstone shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Population | 140 (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | SU2987 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Faringdon |
| Postcode district | SN7 |
| Dialling code | 01367 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Woolstone Village |
Woolstone is a village and civil parish about 4.5 miles (7 km) south of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse. Woolstone was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
The village is a spring line settlement at the foot of the Berkshire Downs. Woolstone Wells are a group of springs in the chalk escarpment less than 1⁄2 mile (800 m) south of the village. A stream flows north from the springs past the village of Uffington and joins the River Ock about 2 miles (3 km) north of Woolstone village.
Woolstone parish is long and thin, embracing both low-lying land in the vale and upland pasture on the downs. The parish extends just over 4 miles (6.4 km) north – south but is slightly less than 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its widest point.
The Ridgeway runs east–west through the parish along the top of the chalk escarpment just over 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village. On Woolstone Down about 2 miles (3 km) south of the village are a disc barrow about 50 feet (15 m) in diameter and two bowl barrows. About 1⁄2 mile (800 m) south of the barrows is an ancient field system. Iron Age pottery has been found just west of Woolstone village.
Steam ploughing in 1884 revealed remains of a Roman villa built of clunch in a field just west of Woolstone village. Members of the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society visited the site in 1884, found the south wall of the villa was at least 110 feet (34 m) long and there were Roman mosaics in two central rooms of the villa. The villa was excavated again in 1955. No permanent marker of the site was left after either excavation, but a geophysical survey tentatively identified what may be the site in 2007.
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Wikipedia