Toot Baldon

Toot Baldon
St Lawrence's parish church
Toot Baldon
Location within Oxfordshire
Area4.48 km2 (1.73 sq mi)
Population140 (Parish, 2021)[1]
• Density31/km2 (80/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSP5600
Civil parish
  • Toot Baldon
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOxford
Postcode districtOX44
Dialling code01865
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteBaldons Parish Council

Toot Baldon is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 140. Toot Baldon shares a grouped parish council with the neighbouring parish of Marsh Baldon.

Toponym

"Toot" is derived from an Old English word for "a look-out place".[2] "Baldon" is derived from the Old English for "Bealda's Hill".[3]

History

The Church of England parish church of Saint Lawrence was built mostly in the 13th century.[4] It was restored to designs by the Gothic Revival architect Henry Woodyer in 1865.[5] The church is a Grade II* listed building.[6] There is a monument to the 1965 Little Baldon air crash in the north aisle of the church. Court House Farm is partly 16th century.[5][7] Toot Baldon manor house was built in the 17th century[5] and is Grade II* listed.[8] A parish school was built in the 19th or early 20th century. It has since closed and the building is now a private house.

Amenities

Toot Baldon has a pub. It used to be the Crown[9] but is now called the Mole Inn.[10] Toot Baldon and Marsh Baldon share a cricket club.[11]

Governance

There are three tiers of local government covering Toot Baldon, at parish, district and county level: Baldons Parish Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, and Oxfordshire County Council. The parish council is a grouped parish council, covering the two parishes of Toot Baldon and Marsh Baldon.[12]

References

  1. ^ "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
  2. ^ Alexander 1912, p. 209.
  3. ^ Alexander 1912, p. 46.
  4. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 818.
  5. ^ a b c Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 819.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Lawrence (Grade II*) (1193957)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Court House (Grade II) (1047997)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  8. ^ Historic England. "The Manor House (Grade II*) (1047998)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  9. ^ Historic England. "The Crown Public House (Grade II) (1285927)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  10. ^ The Mole Inn
  11. ^ The Baldons Cricket Club
  12. ^ "The Baldons Parish Council". Retrieved 9 October 2025.

Sources