Kingston Blount – Village History and Architecture

Kingston Blount combines a location on the spring line below the Chiltern Hills with a local history spanning the Domesday Book and buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The landscape, historic buildings and a planned path connection offer different points of interest when you are planning a stay in this village.

Spring line, stream and grassland

Kingston Blount is one of the villages that developed along the spring line below the Chiltern Hills. Kingston Brook runs from Kingston Hill via Brook Street to a ford on the Lower Icknield Way. This identifies several specific points along its course. Kingston Green offers a different aspect of the landscape: this small area of rough grassland lies west of the village.

The road connections are also clearly identified. The B4009 links Kingston Blount with Crowell and Aston Rowant; the respective sections are called Crowell Road and Chinnor Road. If you use this connection to reach the village, check current road conditions, as road restrictions and conditions can change.

Building history in the village

The area known as “Kingston Blount Conservation Area” is designated a conservation area. The designation dates to 11 December 1984. Two houses illustrate different building periods and materials: Town Farmhouse is a Grade II listed farmhouse from the late 18th century. Red brick, a hipped slate roof and an open timber trellis porch are among its defining features. If you view the building from outside, please respect the private property.

Older is 2 Park Lane, also Grade II listed: the house dates from the 17th century. Its features include red brick, extensive timber framing with brick infill and a thatched roof hipped to the right. The comparison with Town Farmhouse shows two different building periods; the materials and roof forms mentioned provide a distinct architectural reference for each.

St John’s Chapel in Kingston Blount was consecrated in 1877. The brick building has a Broseley tile roof. The architect is identified as E. A. Webb, who later became Sir Aston Webb; the builder was James Holland. A cross in the churchyard was erected as a war memorial in 1921. Together, these architectural and commemorative features bring further points in the village’s history into view, without conflating the older houses with the later chapel.

Place name and early history

At the time of the Domesday Book, Kingston Blount was called “Chingestone”; the village then had 19 tenants. The name element “Blount” comes from the surname of the landowners who held the manor from 1237 until the early 15th century. This links two different aspects of the village’s history: an early form of its name and the later origin of the name element used today.

Path connections and practical planning

A surfaced grass path has been established as a public right of way between Kingston Blount and Crowell. It runs along the hedge beside the B4009 at the edge of Kingston Blount and is designed to be usable in all weather. Check local conditions before setting out.

The planned Kingston Blount–Crowell path project is separate from this: it is intended to link a network of footpaths at the foot of the Chiltern Hills with the Ridgeway National Trail. It is also intended to enable walkers to avoid a dangerous section of the B4009 without pavements. Check the current path status before including this planned connection in your route.

Farm shop and stay

The Lockdown Larder farm shop at Kingston Blount Farm offers its own meat, eggs, homemade cakes and other local products, as well as organic produce from the farm. Check before travelling whether the shop is open and which products are currently available. This lets you plan a stop without relying on it as a guaranteed source of supplies during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Faringdon, Alvescot, Goring, Oxford, Clare, Shipton-On-Cherwell, Deddington, Hook Norton

For the main travel overview: Oxfordshire.