Chimney, Oxfordshire
| Chimney | |
|---|---|
Chimney Meadows on the River Thames | |
Chimney Location within Oxfordshire | |
| OS grid reference | SP3500 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bampton |
| Postcode district | OX18 |
| Dialling code | 01993 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Aston, Cote, Chimney and Shifford |
Chimney is a hamlet and in the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is on the River Thames near Shifford Lock, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Witney. Chimney Meadows 620 acres (250 ha) is the largest nature reserve managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
History
Chimney's toponym is derived from Old English, meaning "Island of a man named Ceomma".[1] A series of ring ditches to the west of the hamlet have been scheduled as an ancient monument,[2] as has an oval causewayed enclosure which is approximately 150 metres (490 ft) across.[3] A large Anglo-Saxon cemetery, in use from the mid 10th century to the mid 11th century, has been found west of Chimney Farm.[4] Chimney has been a small settlement since then. There were about 18 households in the 13th century, and the population reached a peak of 46 in 1821. In 1931, the last year for which separate figures are available, the population was 24.[4][5]
Two late 17th century cottages at Chimney Farm have been designated as Grade II listed buildings,[6] as has the Lower Farmhouse.[7]
Chimney was historically a hamlet in the ancient parish of Bampton.[8] Civil functions under the poor laws from the 17th century onwards were administered separately for Chimney and other parts of Bampton parish. As such, Chimney became a civil parish in 1866 when the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws. In 1932, Chimney was merged with the neighbouring parish of Aston and Cote (also formerly part of Bampton) to become a new civil parish called Aston Bampton, which was in turn merged with Shifford (another former hamlet of Bampton) in 1954 to become Aston Bampton and Shifford.[9][10][11] The parish was renamed Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney in 1988.[12]
Geography
The area lies on alluvial deposits from the River Thames producing calcareous clayey soils of the Thames series.[13] Chimney Meadows is a 620 acres (250 ha) national nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest which forms part of the floodplain of the River Thames.[13] It includes wild flower meadows with cowslip, yellow rattle, common knapweed, oxeye daisy and pepper-saxifrage which supports insects, wildfowl and waders. It is the largest nature reserve managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, who took it over in 2003.[14][15]
References
- ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-869103-7.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Historic England. "Ring ditches (1006341)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Historic England. "Causewayed enclosure, 900m west of Chimney Farm (1018656)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ a b Crossley & Currie, 1996, page 82 Chimney Archived 21 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Population statistics Chimney CP/Hmlt through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Chimney Farm Cottages, at SP 3585 0094 (1182615)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Historic England. "Lower Farmhouse (1368240)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Crossley & Currie, 1996, pages 6-8: Bampton Archived 21 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume I, Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. xvi, 391. ISBN 0901050679.
- ^ Crossley & Currie, 1996, pp. 62–80
- ^ "Aston Bampton and Shifford CP". A Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Bulletin of Changes of Local Authority Status, Names and Areas, 1st April 1988 –31st March 1989 (PDF). London: Department of the Environment. 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Chimney Meadows" (PDF). Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Chimney Meadows". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve". Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
Sources
- Crossley, Alan; Currie, C.R.J. (eds.); Baggs, A.P.; Chance, Eleanor; Colvin, Christina; Day, C.J.; Selwyn, Nesta; Townley, Simon C. (1996). A History of the County of Oxford, Volume 13: Bampton Hundred (Part One). Victoria County History. pp. 6–62, 80–86.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help)
External links
- BBOWT: Chimney Meadows nature reserve
- Map sources for Chimney, Oxfordshire