Stratton Audley: Church, Castle Site and Manor House

Stratton Audley brings together three distinct historical themes: the Church of St Mary and St Edburga, with its Grade I listing and Jacobean pulpit; the site of the medieval castle of the Audleys; and The Manor House, dating from the mid-16th century. These landmarks do not tell the same story. The church is characterised by its protected status and a feature of its interior, the castle site by its location and moat, and the manor house by its construction date, listing grade and current use. For your trip planning, this offers a specific choice based on historical interests rather than simply a place name.

The church: listing status and features

The Church of St Mary and St Edburga is a listed building in the highest category, Grade I. It also has a Jacobean pulpit. These are two distinct aspects: Grade I describes the building’s classification, while the pulpit identifies a particular feature inside. This distinction is helpful if you want to consider buildings not only by their listing grade but also by specific features. The pulpit provides a clearly identified architectural point of interest in the church; the listing status, meanwhile, conveys its overall heritage designation.

The castle site at Court Close

The site of the medieval castle of the Audleys lies south-east of the church, in a meadow called Court Close. There, a simple rectangular moat encloses the site of a destroyed castle; the moat still holds water in places. The historical point of reference is therefore the site of the former structure and the moat surrounding it, not a castle building described as still standing. This distinction is important: the church is a building with a listing status and features, while the castle is a site with a clearly described landscape feature. The directional information and the name Court Close locate the castle site in relation to the church and give it a precise geographical setting.

The Manor House

The Manor House adds another theme: a manor house dating from the mid-16th century. It is a Grade II listed building and is now used as housing. Its construction date, listing status and current use all contribute to how it is understood: the house is described not only by its historical date but also by its present-day use. Compared with the medieval castle site, its date marks a different point in time. The Grade I and Grade II classifications apply respectively to the Church of St Mary and St Edburga and The Manor House; they should not be confused with each other or with the history of the castle site.

Three historical perspectives

For your thematic orientation, what matters is what each piece of information refers to: for the church, it is the listing status and pulpit; for the castle site, its location and the partly water-filled moat; and for the manor house, its construction date and current residential use. This lets you consider architectural history, a medieval castle site and the use of a manor house as distinct interests. Each of the three landmarks offers a different perspective on Stratton Audley rather than telling one single, unified story of the place.

Discover more destinations: Goring, Weston-On-The-Green, Thame, Chesterton, Banbury, Waterstock, Clare, Deddington

For the wider travel overview: Oxfordshire.