Discover Church Hanborough

Church Hanborough can be considered in terms of three specific interests when planning a trip: the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, the historic settlement pattern, and routes on foot or by bike. If you are looking for a hotel, this distinction can help you decide what to focus on during your stay: the church and Conservation Area represent architectural and settlement history, while the routes offer their own options for getting around.

Church and architectural history

The Anglican parish church of Saints Peter and Paul is Hanborough’s parish church and is located in the centre of Church Hanborough. It was built before 1130 and dates from the early 12th century. It was altered in the mid-13th century, followed by a redesign around 1400. These dates therefore identify the early construction and two later phases of design.

One architectural detail described in particular is the Norman tympanum above the north doorway. A tympanum is the decorated field above a doorway. Here it depicts St Peter with the keys, the lion of St Mark and the Lamb of God. In addition to the church’s age, this allows a single work of art to be identified by its location and the figures depicted.

Settlement pattern and landscape

The Church Hanborough Conservation Area was designated in 1990 and covers the entire medieval settlement with its compact linear layout. The designation therefore applies to the settlement as a whole, not just to a single building. The area contains a total of 21 listed buildings. The parish church is a Grade I listed building and has a distinctive spire; the other buildings are listed Grade II.

The Conservation Area also includes the fields immediately east and west of Church Hanborough, as well as large areas of open farmland to the east and south. The compact settlement pattern and open agricultural land therefore sit alongside one another at different scales. If you are more interested in historic architectural forms or the agricultural landscape when planning your trip, these features offer two different perspectives on the place.

Walking and cycling routes

The Eynsham–Church Hanborough–Freeland Circular Walk is a six-mile circular route that includes Church Hanborough. Path conditions and access can change, so check conditions before setting out.

The Witney–North Leigh–Long Hanborough–Church Hanborough–Freeland–Eynsham–South Leigh–Witney cycling route is between 13 and 23 miles long, depending on the variant. Its route instructions take you via a turn-off to Church Hanborough and SS Peter and Paul Church. At six miles, the walking loop is shorter than any of the cycling route variants listed. So when planning, it makes a concrete difference whether you consider the shorter walking loop or one of the cycling routes of varying lengths.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Clanfield, Abingdon, Murcott, North Leigh, Coleshill, Bicester, Hook Norton, Benson

For the main travel overview: Oxfordshire.