Witney

Known across the world for blanket making, especially in North America where the Witney Point Blanket was traded in exchange for furs, the town owes its prosperity to the wool trade.

Witney is the largest of the market towns in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds and much of the architecture reflects the past prosperity of the woollen trade, including the 17th century Butter Cross, the fine tree-bordered green and church of St Mary the Virgin with its 150ft spire, also Mount House, where you’ll discover the remains of the Palace of the Bishop of Winchester.

A long attractive high street runs from the Butter Cross and features the 18th century town hall, the Blanket Hall and the Victorian Corn Exchange. The town has a bustling atmosphere with a good range of shops, supermarkets and a twice weekly market.

Just a short walk from the centre of town is Cogges Manor Farm Museum: the restored manor house, dating from the 13th century, has period room displays and daily demonstrations of work in the Victorian kitchen. There are also traditional breeds of farm animals and displays of farm machinery, as well as seasonal demonstrations of farm work.