Great Haseley

Great Haseley is an attractive little village with thatched stone cottages and many listed buildings. The name is thought to derive from Hazel Ley, meaning a clearing in a Hazel wood.

At one end of the village, near the church, the attractive Manor House is very prominent. It was built in the 17th century but altered in about 1700. It has a Georgian stable block. In contrast, at the other end of the village in the vicinity of Mill Lane there is a group of very attractive chocolate-box thatched cottages.

The parish church, St. Peter's, dates from about 1200. The three-bay arcades linking the nave with the north and south aisles are in a transitional style from Norman to Early English Gothic, as is an external doorway that has been re-set on the west side of the bell-tower.

Just to the north of the village, and visible from the A329, is a tower mill, Great Haseley (or Milton Common) Mill. It is thought the mill ended its working life in the early 1900s and consequently a lot of deterioration has taken place. However the mill is being restored by a restoration trust.

A number of locations in the village, and also at nearby Little Haseley, have been featured in the well-known television series Midsomer Murders.
http://midsomermurders.org/locationsw.htm
http://midsomermurders.org/greathaseleyloc2.htm
http://midsomermurders.org/greathaseleyloc3.htm
http://midsomermurders.org/littlehaseleyloc.htm
http://midsomermurders.org/littlehaseleyloc2.htm

Great Haseley is south of the A329 Shillingford to Thame road, about three quarters of a mile south of junction 7 of the M40 motorway.