FRILFORD, GARFORD AND LYFORD

Right on the busy crossroads of the A338 Oxford to Wantage road and the A415 Witney to Abingdon road is the hamlet of Frilford. Frilford is fine if you want a prep school, garden centre or garage, or if you live there in one of the houses set back from the road, but otherwise it is probably somewhere you drive through quickly without really noticing it!

The centre of Frilford is dominated by the Abingdon School playing fields. Opposite the playing fields is the Abingdon Preparatory School and, down a short drive, Frilford Evangelical Chapel. On the outskirts of the village to the west is Millets Farm Centre, which includes a farm shop, restaurant, garden centre and small animal park for the children, and to the north towards Frilford Heath is the Frilford Heath Golf Club.

Off the A338 on the road that runs from just south of Frilford west to Charney Bassett are the small villages of Garford and Lyford. This is typical Vale countryside with small streams and sleepy attractive villages, and Garford and Lyford don't disappoint.

Garford spreads along the road to Charney Bassett from the A338. The church, St. Luke's is a chapel of ease. It must be fairly unique as it is approached through a famyard! For the history and full information about St. Luke's Church click here.

Lyford is a smaller village and most of it is in a quiet culdesac which leads to Lyford Manor, Manor Farm and the Jacobean Church of St. Mary. For the history and full information about St. Mary's Church click here.

Garford and Lyford are both villages which sprung up where the River Ock could be crossed safely by ford. The Ock now is bridged at Lyford just outside the village on the road to Charney Bassett, and at Garford too the river is presumably bridged where it flows through Millets Farm.