Why visit Blockley
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 4 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Moreton-in-Marsh and Batsford War Memorial and Sezincote House.
Weather in Blockley
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About Blockley
Blockley is a village, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh. Until 1931 Blockley was an exclave of Worcestershire.
From the Wikipedia article Blockley (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
Moreton-in-Marsh and Batsford War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.9 mi
War memorial in Moreton-in-Marsh, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Sezincote House
Museum · 2.4 mi
Grade I listed country house in Gloucestershire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes4
Where to stay2
History
In AD 855 King Burgred of Mercia granted a monastery at Blockley to Ealhhun, Bishop of Worcester for the price of 300 solidi. In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded that the Bishop of Worcester held an estate of 38 hides at Blockley. The Bishops of Worcester retained the estate until 1648, during the English Civil War, when the Parliamentary Trustees sold it. After the restoration of the English monarchy the estate was restored to the Bishop of Worcester, whose successors held the manor until at least 1781.
The Church of England parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul is late Norman, built in about 1180. The ecclesiastical parish now forms part of the Vale and Cotswold Edge team of Church of England churches, with the Team Vicar remaining responsible for Blockley and its outlying villages of Paxford, Draycott and Aston Magna, as well as the parish of Bourton-on-the-Hill.
The church is used as St Mary's Roman Catholic church in the Father Brown television series and the vicarage as the presbytery, Father Brown's residence.
In 1715 the Vicar, the Rev. Dr. Erasmus Saunders, had a new school built for the parish. Blockley still has a Church of England primary school.
Much of the parish was farmed under an open field system until 1772, when an Act of Parliament provided for the enclosure of the remaining common lands.
Read more of the history
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, built between 1845 and 1851, passes through the parish. Blockley railway station was more than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of the village and nearer to Paxford. British Railways closed Blockley railway station in 1966 but the railway remains open as part of the Cotswold Line. The nearest railway station still open is Moreton-in-Marsh.
Blockley is home to Watsonian Squire, the largest UK manufacturer of sidecars and trailers for motorbikes. It has been based in the village since 1984.
From the History section of Blockley on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Blockley
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron SandysBritish politician; (1695-1770)Photo: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain- Cecil SandfordBritish motorcycle racer (1928–2023)
Born in Blockley, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship6
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of Blockley
22 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Gloucestershire Airport (GLO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 19 miles away.
- Honeybourne 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- South Littleton 9 mi northwest, about 14 min by car
- Evesham 10 mi northwest, about 16 min by car
- Lower Brailes 10 mi east, about 16 min by car
- Harvington 11 mi northwest, about 18 min by car
- Ettington 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
- Stratford-upon-Avon 13 mi north, about 20 min by car
- Northleach 13 mi south, about 21 min by car
- Bishops Cleeve 14 mi west, about 22 min by car
- Cheltenham 16 mi southwest, about 25 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Blockley
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- St Peter and St Paul, Blockley, DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Square, Blockley, with St Peter and St Paul Church, and the Riley RMA used for filming Father Brown, Adrian Beney, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Blockley - The Manor House - 20240807135511, GZagatta, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Blockley - The Manor House - 20240807135926, GZagatta, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Blockley Village Hall, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Blockley 01, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sezincote House, Andy Stephenson, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ebringtonchurch, Jennifer Luther Thomas, CC BY-SA 2.0
- East Banqueting StJames Chipping Campden, Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lower Brook House, Blockley, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, OrangeHurst97, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, zymurgic, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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