CHASTLETON

In the minds of a lot of people Chastleton is probably just the Jacobean house owned by the National Trust and it is likely that they do not realise that behind the house is a quiet little Cotswold village which comprises a couple of farms and a few cottages but little more. Chastleton House is one of the finest Jacobean mansions in the country and attracts many visitors each year.

In 1602 Chastleton was owned by Robert Catsby, one of the Gunpowder conspirators, and it was sold for £4,000 to Walter Jones, perhaps to fund his purchase of a large quantity of gunpowder. The original house stood in a parkland setting opposite the church. The present house was probably built between 1607 and 1612. The Jones – subsequently Whitmore-Jones – family remained in possession of Chastleton until 1955.

In the grounds of Chastleton House are stables, a brew house and bakery. Marooned in the park opposite is an 18th century dovecote - a surviving feature from a now demolished house.

The parish church is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin which was built late in the 12th century. It was enlarged and refenestrated in the 14th century and has a south bell tower that was added in 1689 and whose crenellations echo those of Chastleton House. For the history and full information about St. Mary's Church click here.

Another building of note in the village is Harcombe House, a mid-17th century Grade II listed farmhouse.

Near the village there is an Iron Age hill fort at Chastleton Burrow.

Chastleton is just off the A44 approximately half way between Chipping Norton and Moreton-in-Marsh.