WATCHFIELD
Watchfield
is close to county border with Wiltshire.
The village is on the edge of high ground known as the Midvale
Ridge, which separates the low-lying clay areas of
the Oxfordshire Vale to the north and the Vale of the
White Horse to the south and forms a distinct but low
escarpment.
The village comprises the attractive old village, centred
around the High Street, and the newer military accommodation
for the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom which is
to the south of the village. The road out of Watchfield
to the north (that used to go to Highworth) was blocked
when the bypass was built and the old village now is fortunate
not to have through traffic. This part of the village
has some attractive old cottages, some in the local style
of chalk and thatch, and in the centre is the
parish church of St. Thomas
To
the north of the village, and north of the A420, is Westmill
Wind Farm, situated at Westmill Farm on the site of
the former Watchfield Airfield. The wind farm was established
as a Co-op in 2004 for the purpose of constructing and
operating a community-owned wind farm and will produce
enough 'green' electricity to power more than 2,500 homes.
Watchfield
is just south of the A420 Oxford to Swindon road,
about a mile north of Shrivenham.
