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History |
Legend
has it that King Alfred stayed here in the year 890 although the
first firm evidence of a Royal Domicile is during the reign of Ethelred
the
Unready (976-1016) when he is known to have held at least one council
(Witan) here. This suggests that there must have been either a lodge
or some sort of palace large enough to accommodate the King and his
entourage. The building does not stand today and it is not known
where it stood. |
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The
arrival of Norman Kings brought about great changes to the Country
and its
inhabitants. The sport of hunting became very important to the monarchy
and large areas of forest were given over to hunting with the Saxon
inhabitants being driven away. Those of the 'Clearing in the Woods'
that was Woodstock were no exception and there is strong belief that
they were the founders of 'Old Woodstock' which lies to the north
of the River Glyme. The youngest son of William the Conqueror, Henry
I
is the first to be credited with enclosing what is now Blenheim Park
and it is said that parts of the old wall can still be seen. He also
built a manor within the wall which stood on the mound which stands
across what is now the lake from the Palace we see today. After Henry's
death came nineteen years of anarchy and civil war until the accession
of Henry II (Plantagenet) in 1154. He was the first monarch to subdue
the Barons and unify the country under one authority. For the first
time 'Kings Justice' was available to all - high or low born. He
introduced trial by jury and built a professional Civil Service. |
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With
his wife Eleanor D'Aquitaine, Henry Plantagenet held sway from England
through to the Pyrenees in the South of France. Henry II
often stayed at Woodstock with his mistress 'The Fair Rosamund' and
during his time spent here granted parcels of land to build hostelries
for the use of his men. A weekly market, on Tuesdays was also established
and a three day fair at the feast of St. Matthew. |
By
the end of the Thirteenth century this 'new town' Woodstock had grown
important enough to be taxed as a borough. The official date of this
was May 24th 1453 according to the charter of Henry VI. The old manor
stood until 1715, it had probably been subjected to considerable
bombardment during The Civil War, and it was demolished by order
of Sarah, the 1st Duchess of Marlborough. |
The Palace
that stands today was built in 1715 by the architect Vanbrugh with
the park landscaped by Capability Brown. With the building of the new
palace came much new building in Woodstock itself and many of the old
timber-framed buildings were given new fronts of coursed stone and
reroofed using slate from nearby Stonesfield. Woodstock became renowned
for two crafts, those of glove making and decorative steel work. Woodstock
steel, said to be made from horseshoe nails, was cut to make jewellery
and other decorative items. |
The
Town Hall (www.woodstock-tc.gov.uk), built in 1766 dominates Market Place. To the south is
the Bear
Hotel, world famous and dating back to the 13th century. Across Park
Street, behind the Town Stocks, Fletcher's House – a 16th
century merchant’s house – is home to the Oxfordshire County
Museum. Park Street – quiet and tree-lined – leads to
Blenheim Park and to one of the most breathtaking views in England.
In contrast,
Market Street and High Street bustle with activity, as does Oxford
Street, the main thoroughfare. Each is a pleasing mix of small shops,
inns and private houses where car parking is convenient and free. |
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