Located on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds, the Oxfordshire town of Woodstock is best known as the home of grand Blenheim Palace. But there’s more to this historic market town than its palace. Woodstock has been welcoming visitors for over 900 years, with museums, Georgian architecture, a musical church, independent shops and acres of parkland to explore. So discover the best things to do in Woodstock, as well as where to eat, drink and stay, with our local expert’s guide.
Woodstock’s history
The name Woodstock comes from the Old English word Wudestoc, meaning ‘a clearing in the woods’ thanks to its location in the Wychwood Forest.
The town grew up thanks to the forest, with Norman kings coming to Woodstock Manor to hunt its wild animals. King Henry I built a seven-mile-long wall to create the first enclosed park in England, and used it to house a menagerie of animals, including lions, leopards and camels.
Residents were moved to what’s now called ‘Old Woodstock’, lying to the north of the River Glyme. And ‘New Woodstock’ – the main part of the town – was created by Henry’s grandson Henry II in the 12th century to house and feed people working at or visiting the manor. He grew Woodstock Manor into a elegant palace, spending a lot of time there with his mistress ‘Fair Rosamund’.
The manor remained a royal residence for over 500 years, but by the 16th century it was starting to show signs of wear. Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth I was kept under house arrest there for a year in 1554 by her sister Mary Tudor over fears that she would try to take her crown.
After damage during the Civil War, Woodstock Manor and the town were in decline. But in 1705 they were gifted to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, as a reward for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim. Blenheim Palace was designed by John Vanbrugh and took 30 years to build.
Sarah, the 1st Duchess, decided the ruins of the old manor were ugly and had them knocked down in 1720, so all that’s left now is a small stone monument across the lake from the palace.
Woodstock got a new lease of life with the building of the palace, with over 1000 tradesmen working on it. New buildings were built, Georgian façades added to older buildings and local industries making gloves from deer hide and intricate steel jewellery thrived. And since 1950 Blenheim Palace has been open to the public, bringing nearly a million visitors to Woodstock a year.
Map of Woodstock
Things to do in Woodstock
Blenheim Palace
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest and grandest stately homes in Britain, Blenheim Palace is not to be missed. Tickets cost a fairly pricey £41 adults/£24 children aged 3–16 but they are valid for a year, and you can save 20% if you visit by bus, train or bike.
This Baroque-style palace was built between 1705–1733 for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, and it’s still home to his descendants today. Among them were Sir Winston Churchill – grandson of the 7th Duke – who was born in the palace in 1874 and proposed to his wife there.
You can take an audio tour of the palace’s lavish state rooms, decorated with gold, tapestries and artworks. There are also exhibitions about Winston Churchill and life ‘below stairs’ for palace staff. Or follow the ‘Lights Camera Action’ trail to see film locations from Bridgerton and Mission Impossible. And new for 2025 you can get a view from the roof while it’s being refurbished.
Surrounding the palace are 2000 acres of parkland and landscaped gardens, which you can visit for free and don’t need a ticket – enter via the gate (see map) from Woodstock town.
There are also lots of events taking place at the palace through the year, including an annual food festival, flower show, horse trials and a Christmas market and light trail.
Historic Town Centre
The centre of Woodstock has some beautiful buildings, some dating from the Georgian period and others much older. Among them are the Grade II-listed Town Hall, which was built in 1766 by architect Sir William Chambers, who also designed Somerset House in London.
The ground floor of the Town Hall was originally an open market hall until it was enclosed in 1898. And during the Victorian era the town’s fire engines were parked there. Inside the Assembly Room are the Woodstock wall hangings, 17 embroidered panels depicting the town’s history.
You can find out about the history of other buildings around Woodstock on the Historic Wall Plaque Trail. This free self-guided trail takes you to places which had past lives as glove and jewellery factories, an isolation hospital, railway station and bell foundry. You can also see the house of Simon Hatley, who inspired Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Look out for the town stocks outside the Oxfordshire Museum too. They’ve now been repurposed into a bench but would have once been used to punish local wrongdoers. Unusually they have five holes instead of the normal even numbers, as well as a roof to keep the rain off.
The Oxfordshire Museum
The free Oxfordshire Museum in 18th-century Fletcher’s House is a great way to learn more about the people and places which helped shape the county. Its 11 galleries take you from the Jurassic period through the Anglo-Saxons and Romans to the Victorian era. There’s a mix of displays from dinosaur footprints to local crafts and the rare 18th-century Stonesfield Embroidery.
The museum has a peaceful walled garden out the back (look out for the dinosaurs hiding among the greenery), overlooked by the OM Café and terrace. You can also see different temporary exhibitions in the Garden Gallery, and the museum hosts craft workshops and curator talks.
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
Next door to the Oxfordshire Museum is the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (entry £7 adults/£4 children aged 5–16, save 10% if visiting by bus or train). The museum shows how conflict has affected the county and its people, both those who served and those left at home.
The museum’s permanent displays tell the stories of local regiments, including a moving display on the liberation of Bergen Belsen by the Oxfordshire Yeomanry. You’ll also learn about life on the front line, prisoners of war, spies and espionage, and the role of women in warfare. And you can experience a recreated WWI trench and hear stories of the Blitz inside an Anderson Shelter.
St Mary Magdalene Church
Woodstock’s St Mary Magdalene Church dates from the Norman period, when Henry II had it built for visitors to his hunting lodge. The only part that remains from then is the south doorway, with a distinctive zig-zag pattern around it. The rest has been enlarged and adapted since – look out for the 13th-century columns decorated with carved heads and the 15th-century font.
One unusual feature of the church is its carillon, a musical clock which plays four times a day (at 9am, 1pm, 5pm and 9pm), with a different tune for each day of the week. There’s also a set of 200 intricate, hand-embroidered kneelers, depicting local characters, wildlife and history.
Winston Churchill’s Grave
Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, and after he died in 1965 he received a full state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral. But he was buried in the small village of Bladon a few miles from Woodstock. His body was taken by train to Hanborough then to Bladon for a private burial.
Churchill is buried alongside other members of the Spencer-Churchill family, including his wife Clementine who was buried with him after she died in 1977. You can see his grave at St Martin’s Church – though erosion meant the stone had to be replaced in 1998. There’s also a stained-glass window inside the church created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death.
Walks from Woodstock
There are some lovely walks around Blenheim Palace park, including a 1.5-mile walk around the Queen’s Pool and a 4.6-mile circuit of the park perimeter. You can also walk across the park to the Bladon Gate to visit Winston Churchill’s grave and The White House pub. Bladon Gate (at the end of Park Lane) is one of the free entrance gates to the park, along with one in Woodstock.
Further afield there’s a 7-mile circular walk from Woodstock through water meadows which are a valuable habitat for birds, mammals and plants to the village of Wootton, where you can visit The Killingworth Castle pub. Or follow the 16-mile Glyme Valley Way to Chipping Norton.
Things to do near Woodstock
Long Hanborough, three miles southwest of Woodstock, is home to the Oxford Bus Museum, which is open on Wednesdays and Sundays. Or Combe Mill (4.5 miles) was once the sawmill for Blenheim Palace, and is now an industrial museum that’s open on Wednesdays.
It’s just eight miles to Oxford where you can tour the university colleges, visit the Ashmolean Museum, Botanic Gardens and punt on the River Isis. Or head north towards Chipping Norton (11 miles) where you’ll find Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop and the Rollright Stones.
Also within easy reach of Woodstock are North Leigh Roman Villa (6.5 miles) and Cogges Manor Farm in Witney (9 miles), a historic manor house and farm that was a filming location for Downton Abbey. And fellow Downton location Bampton village is only 16 miles away too.
Places to eat in Woodstock
Cafés and delis
Coffee fans have two great spots to choose from, right opposite each other. Missing Bean is an Oxford-based roastery serving single-origin, specialty coffees. They also have bread, sandwiches and pastries baked in their own bakery. Or Woodstock Coffee Shop serves up Mediterranean-style baklava, spanakopita, biscotti and Greek iced coffee alongside the usual hot drinks.
You can stock up on local produce at Hampers Food and Wine, a café and deli selling cheeses, ham, cakes and savoury bakes. There’s also a farmers’ market in Woodstock Market Place which takes place from 8.30am–1pm on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
And if the sun’s shining, don’t miss a stop at Alfonso Gelateria. They make authentic Italian-style gelato using traditional methods – our picks are the salted caramel and tiramisu flavours.
Restaurants
The Back Lane Tavern is part cosy locals pub, part wine bar and small plates restaurant that’s been awarded 2 AA Rosettes. Its tapas-style dishes are perfect for sharing. They take influences from around the world, from Cornish monkfish ceviche and Vietnamese rolls to Korean chicken wings and pork belly tacos. The same owners also run The Marlborough Arms on the outskirts of town.
Brothertons Brasserie serves authentic Italian bistro dishes, including wood-fired pizzas and freshly made pasta, using produce from Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. The restaurant recently expanded into the premises next door and has outdoor pavement seating for the summer.
There are also two restaurants at The Feathers Hotel. The Nest (open Thursday–Sunday) is the more upscale option, serving elegantly presented modern British and European dishes. Reservations are essential. The Aviary is more casual, open daily for lunch and dinner with no need to book. The menu features sourdough pizzas and flatbreads, and there’s an inventive cocktail list.
Pubs and bars
The Punchbowl Inn is a warm and welcoming, family-run, dog-friendly pub. They serve ales from local brewers Arkell’s and Donnington Brewery as well as lagers, ciders, wines and spirits. And there’s a menu of good value, classic pub food, with dishes like sausage and mash or cod and chips, as well as lighter salads and smoothies. The inn also has nine refurbished guest rooms.
The Woodstock Arms is another cosy historic pub with original wooden beams, stone walls and a copper hooded fireplace. Their seasonal menu features local produce like Cotswold venison and Oxfordshire lamb, and it’s a good place for fish and seafood, delivered fresh from Devon.
The Crown Inn is an 18th-century building that’s now a pub and boutique B&B (they also have a guest cottage and apartment). The menu is fairly small but has tasty options like steak tagliata and fish pie as well as small plates, wood-fired pizzas, lunchtime sandwiches and Sunday roasts.
The Kings Arms is a Fuller’s Brewery pub which proudly claims to be older than Blenheim Palace. They serve Fuller’s cask ales alongside traditional pub grub like steak and mushroom pie, burgers and steaks. There’s also a light and bright Atrium available to hire and 15 bedrooms.
Or if you’re a wine-lover, The Tipsy Palace sells over 100 English wines. They have 16 available to sample from their Enomatic wine machine, as well as £5 glasses of wine from the honesty bar and an extensive wine list. You can also order charcuterie and cheese platters, pizzas and dim sum.
Where to stay in Woodstock
The Feathers* is a recently revamped boutique gem, combining original 17th-century features with a stylish, calming décor. The 23 rooms and suites tucked away in its maze of corridors range from standard double Woodstock Rooms to Feature Suites with separate living space, freestanding baths and love seats. And there are several dog-friendly rooms for an extra £30 per stay.
The Marlborough Arms* is an atmospheric coaching inn that’s been welcoming visitors since 1450. It has 16 country-style bedrooms – mix of singles, doubles and larger deluxe rooms. There’s no restaurant, but breakfast is included and there’s a comfy guest lounge with open fire.
If you prefer self-catering, The Bowler Hat* is a Grade II-listed, 18th-century cottage full of character in the heart of Woodstock. It sleeps four in two bedrooms (one double and one king), and has a wood-burning stove, rolltop bath and a private patio garden for summer evenings.
Or have the palace right on your doorstep with a stay at Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat* on the Blenheim Estate. These contemporary, Scandinavian-style lodges come with one, two or three bedrooms. Each has an open-plan living area and kitchen, and some are pet friendly.
How to get to Woodstock
Woodstock by car
Woodstock is eight miles north of Oxford along the A44 Evesham Road. There’s free long-stay parking (up to 12 hours) at the Union Street car park just off Hensington Road (OX20 1JQ). Or on-street parking in the town centre is free for up to an hour, then £1 per hour up to four hours.
If you’re visiting Blenheim Palace, parking is included with your entry ticket – and tickets are valid for a year so you can visit more than once. Then it’s a 10-minute walk into Woodstock.
Woodstock by public transport
Woodstock’s nearest train station is in Hanborough. From there you can catch the Stagecoach S7 bus (daily) to Woodstock which only takes 10 minutes. Or if you catch a train or coach to Oxford you can get to Woodstock on the Stagecoach S7 or S3 buses (both daily) in around 35 minutes. For Burford and Cheltenham, take the S7 to Witney then change onto the Stagecoach S2 (daily).
The S7 and S3 buses (in both directions) both stop outside The Marlborough Arms on Oxford Street. Or if you’re heading straight to Blenheim Palace, there’s also a bus stop outside the palace gates on Oxford Road, then it’s a 10-minute walk across the park to reach the entrance.
* This site contains affiliate links, where I get a small commission from purchases at no extra cost to you.
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