A Farm called Purgatory
17 February 2023
Purgatory, Steeple Barton
An unusual name jumps out at you while browsing maps of the River Dorn between Steeple Barton and Wootton: Purgatory. What is this hellish-sounding place, and how did it get its name?
Ghosts, Giants and Beasts of the Chequers Inn, Oxford
17 February 2023
The Chequers, 131 High Street, Oxford
The Chequers dates back over eight centuries and boasts a strange history, including strange animals, giants, secret tunnels and ghostly monks!
The White Mark of Watlington Hill
11 January 2023
Watlington Chalk Pit (nature reserve)
While Watlington's own huge chalk hill carving might not rival that at Wilmington or Uffington, it has an amusing story behind it that deserved to be more widely known.
The ruins of St. James's church, Bix Bottom
14 November 2022
St. James's Church ruins, Bix Brand, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6BJ
These atmospheric ruins have been connected with paganism, witchcraft, lay lines and UFOs, as well as being used as a filming location for various horror films.
Four Shire Stone - The monument that inspired Tolkien
25 August 2022
Four Shire Stone, near Morton-in-Marsh
This curious monument near Morton-in-Marsh is said to have inspired Tolkien's Three Farthing Stone from Lord of the Rings.
Secret rooms and daring escapes at Chastleton House
24 August 2022
Chastleton House, Chastleton, Moreton-in-Marsh
Chastleton House hides a secret room that was once the scene of a daring escape by Royalist Captain Arthur Jones during the English Civil War.
Mass grave beneath Lincoln College Library
30 May 2022
Lincoln College library, High Street, Oxford
When Lincoln College renovated All Saints church into its new library, they were shocked at what they found below.
A roundabout above a graveyard
23 November 2021
The Plain, St. Clement's, Oxford
Travellers across the Plain may not be aware that they are crossing the site of a disused graveyard.