Leafield

Leafield Castle (also known as Leafield Barrow) is a motte castle in the village of Leafield in the north west region of Oxfordshire. All that is left of the castle are the earthworks and the earth mound that formed the centre of the castle. It has a commanding view and is 220 metres (720 ft) north west of the Church of St Michael and All Angels. The castle is similar in size and shape to the nearby Ascot d'Oilly Castle. The motte measures 38 metres (125 ft) across and stands up to 4 metres (13 ft) high. It has a flat, oval summit which measures 19.9 metres (65 ft) from north west to south east and 12 metres (39 ft) from south west to north east. A square feature measuring 10.9 metres (36 ft) across with an internal depression 7.5 metres (25 ft) square and 0.3 metres (1 ft 0 in) deep is believed to indicate the remains of the stone keep building. On the opening of a barrow in 1828, some ancient coins were dug up.The village of Leafield itself is very old and was established by at least the 11th century, but there are few medieval remains and these are limited to features in houses that were later extensively rebuilt. This would mean that there could have been a castle guarding over the village from the 11th century onwards. This castle would have influence over the royal forest of Wychwood, a key centre for hunting as well as royal visits.

Leafield Technical Centre is a former radio transmission station, now turned motorsports centre of excellence, located in the hamlet of Langley, in the western part of the village of Leafield in Oxfordshire, England. Developed from 1912 as a radio transmission station by the General Post Office, it was decommissioned by successor company British Telecom in 1986. BT Group redeveloped the site as a training college, but then closed the site in 1993.Sold to a commercial property company, the site was then leased by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) as a motorsport development centre for the Arrows Formula One team, until the team's demise in the 2002 season. Leafield Technical Centre later became the headquarters of the Super Aguri F1 team, following the team's formation ahead of the 2006 season. Super Aguri remained at the site until folding during the 2008 season.From 2003, Motorsport powertrain specialist Menard Competition Technologies Ltd. also maintained offices and workshops at the site. Throughout the late half of the decade to 2010, this engineering company (including some key engineers from the engine department of Tom Walkinshaw Racing) traded from Leafield and also a second site housing engine dynamometers at Kidlington. They completed design / build engine projects including the V12 engine for Superleague Formula, and engines for Norton Motorcycles' range of Commando 961 models from 2009. UK companies house records for MCT show that the company traded actively until 2011, when owner John Menard ceased to require an audit of the accounts. They also show the company was finally dissolved on 13 May 2014.In January 2012, it was announced that the Caterham F1 team would be moving to the vacant Leafield from their original base at Hingham, Norfolk and 8 months later, Caterham F1 Team eventually completed their relocation to Leafield Technical Centre. After Caterham declared bankruptcy in early 2015, Leafield Technical Centre was abandoned and put up for sale. In early 2020, it was reported that the site was heavily vandalised during the five-year period of abandonment.

Ascott d'Oyley is a village in Oxfordshire, England. The name ‘Ascott’ is derived from the Old English ēast (east) and cot (cottage), whilst d’Oyley was appended because Wido de Oileo ‘held the place in the late eleventh century.’ Ascott d’Oyley with its sister village Ascott Earl together form the larger community of Ascott-under-Wychwood. Ascott d’Oyley is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as having 14 households and a mill, under the lordship of Roger d'Oilly, and tenanted by Robert d’Oilly, whose family gives the village its name. An earthmound marks the remains of Ascott d’Oyley Castle. Today the village consists of stone-built houses and cottages grouped around the High Street and Mill Lane. Ascott d'Oyley is served by Windrush Valley School and Ascott-under-Wychwood railway station.

Ascott-under-Wychwood railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the Cotswold Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Great Western Railway. West of the station is a level crossing, controlled by Ascott-under-Wychwood Signal Box, which also oversees the adjacent end of the double-tracked section of the Cotswold Line. Under proposals to extend the doubling of the route, the signal box was to be removed but budgetary constraints on resignalling led to that proposal being revised.

Ascot d'Oilly Castle is situated north of the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood in the north west region of Oxfordshire. It is a scheduled ancient monument. A fragment of the castle remains and is a Grade II listed building. It was named after Roger d'Oilly who was granted it by William the Conqueror and whose brother built Oxford Castle. It is thought that the castle was built around 1129 and it was demolished soon after 1175. There are fragmentary remains of a stone tower. The remains consist of raised ground surrounded by broad ditching.Today the motte of the original castle survives as a mound, around 32 metres (105 ft) wide and 3 metres (9.8 ft) high. The ruins of the keep are situated on top of this mound in the central 20-metre (66 ft) area. It was excavated by Martyn Jope and R. I. Threlfall in 1946–1947 and then in 1959. Excavations carried out in 1946–1947 not only unearthed a number of important artefacts such as 12th-century shelly ware pottery, they also showed how earth was piled up around the outside of a square tower for fortification i.e the castle was built on ground level and then the clay mound, that survives to date, was built around it, instead of the castle being built on a raised mound from the start. Only traces of the tower remain and they suggest that it was about 11 square metres (120 sq ft) with walls 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) thick.The castle is very close to the fortification of Ascott Earl Castle, built on an adjacent estate at the other end of the village. These two castles are considered unique, as they are in close proximity, being only 550 metres (1,800 ft) apart, yet they have never been used in armed struggle against each other. The castle is also very close to Leafield Castle with it only being 2.7 miles away. It is possible that these two fortifications are linked with the shared defence of West Oxfordshire.

Wychwood or Wychwood Forest is a 501.7-hectare (1,240-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Witney in Oxfordshire. It is also a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 1, and an area of 263.4 hectares (651 acres) is a national nature reserve The site contains a long barrow dating to the Neolithic period, which is a scheduled monument.In past centuries the forest covered a much larger area, since cleared in favour of agriculture, villages and towns. However, the forest's area has fluctuated. Parts cleared for agriculture during Britain's centuries under Roman rule later reverted to forest. The existence of the ancient Wychwood is recognised by the authoritative Victoria County History, but the planned Volume XIX has yet to be completed.

Ascott Earl Castle was a castle in the village of Ascott Earl, Oxfordshire, England.

Chilson is a hamlet and civil parish in the Evenlode Valley in West Oxfordshire, England, about 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) south of Chipping Norton. The civil parish also includes the hamlet of Shorthampton, about 2⁄5 mile (1 km) north east of Chilson. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 141. The toponym, first recorded as Cildestuna in about 1200, is derived from the Old English ċildes tūn, meaning "estate of the young nobleman".

Ascott-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about 4.5 miles (7 km) south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 560.

Milton-under-Wychwood is an English village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Burford, Oxfordshire, just off the A361 road between Burford and Chipping Norton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,648.

Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) west of Witney in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,409. Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes the parish church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel. A large part of New Minster is the Charterville Allotments, which were founded by the Chartists in 1846–50.

Minster Lovell Priory was a priory in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, England. Its current site is lost, though it is thought to have been west of St Kenelm's parish church and Minster Lovell Hall.