Carterton is surrounded by lovely
countryside. To the north lies the Cotswolds; an area of gently
contoured hills; woodland and hidden valleys. Small streams run
down to join the Windrush which flows on to meet the Thames passing
through Burford, famed as ‘the gateway to the Cotswolds’.
To the South, the River Thames meanders its way from Lechlade in
Gloucestershire to the city of Oxford. One of the oldest bridges
over the Thames, dating from the 12th century, can be found at Radcot.
This is excellent walking country with well marked footpaths for
both experienced walkers and those wanting more gentle exercise.
For those wanting to stay closer to town, Willow Meadows is an area
of wet grassland beside the Shill Brook on the western edge of Carterton.
Such areas are a priority for conservation in Britain, and Willow
Meadows is owned and maintained by the Town Council with advice
from Government Departments. The Meadows support a range of wet
grassland, swamp and marsh species including purple moor grass,
marsh arrow grass and eight different species of sedge. Birds found
there include reed bunting, bullfinches and sedge warblers. Three
species of rare ground beetle have been recorded there.
Although conservation is a priority, the Council is keen to encourage
responsible visitors to the site and therefore installed a car park,
and a path running the entire length of the meadow. It is now possible
to cross through the meadow and join the perimeter path around RAF
Brize Norton.
Alvescot
This small stone built village lies just to the west of Carterton
on gently rising ground three miles to the north of the River Thames.
Its ancient parish included the mediaeval settlements of Bromscott,
Pemscott, Alwoldsbury and Puttes although all of these were deserted
during  the
middle ages. A chapel was founded in the village in the early 12th
Century by the Lord of Alvescot Manor. In the 13th Century it was
dedicated to Nicholas although this was later changed in the 19th
Century to St Peter. Three public houses opened in the mid 1800s,
one of which, the Plough, is still in existence.
Throughout its history many residents were involved in farming.
Sheep were important but there was also some arable farming with
the chief crops being wheat and barley. There was a mill house which
was used to grind corn. The mill was both water and steam powered
and included an attached cider mill and press.
Alvescot now has a population of about 400. There is one pub, one
shop, an excellent primary school and a village hall. The residents
have recently completed a village appraisal for the millennium,
which gives a snap shot of the village at the turn of this century.
Black Bourton
The small village of Black Bourton lies just to the south of Carterton.
It retains a markedly rural  character
but during the 20th century the parish’s northern part was
transformed by the creation and expansion of RAF Brize Norton.
In the late Anglo Saxon period the village formed part of the Manor
of Bampton. There is reference to an alehouse keeper being in the
village in 1738. The alehouse moved to its current premises in 1938.
The Church at Black Bourton is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin with
a font dating from the late 12th Century and there are 13th Century
wall paintings and tombs dedicated to the Hungerford family. They,
and the major landowners who followed them, used to live in a large
manor house with swan pool which was eventually demolished in the
1930s and little evidence of it remains.
Black Bourton is famous for its active village association which
puts on different events annually, usually involving loud music
and alcohol in significant quantities!
Brize Norton
The large, mainly rural parish of Brize Norton lies to the east
of Carterton. From the 1930s its name became widely known because
of the growing prominence of a local airbase which was named after
Brize Norton village although its main buildings were in the neighbouring
 parish.
The East Gloucestershire Railway, a single track line from Witney
to Fairford, was opened in 1873 and served a number of surrounding
villages. It closed in 1962.
The parish church probably existed in 1074 with the earliest fabric
dating from the 12th Century. By the mid 16th Century it was dedicated
to St Peter but is now dedicated to St Brise. An ex Army hut was
erected in the village in 1921 and known as the Victory Hut. A new
hall, the Elder Bank Hall, replaced the Victory Hut in the 1980s.
Brize Norton is an excellent base for exploring Oxford and the upper
Thames Valley, and is close to both Burford and Witney. Nearby is
RAF Brize Norton. Here is a remarkable sight - from the road at
the end of the runway, it is possible to admire the huge tail fins
of large planes as landmarks in the landscape. Traffic stops when
the planes come in to land.
Shilton
Shilton is a pretty Cotswold type village with several attractive
natural features which have encouraged the gathering together of
the inhabitants through the centuries.
The main street crosses the Shillbrook at the north end of the village
by means of the ancient stone bridge covered with scratched initials
and a favourite resting place to watch for trout.
The attractive ford across ‘The Shill’ brook is much
photographed and deservedly so; this is Cotswold picturesque at
its best - there is a pond, a village pump, a mounting block and
an open village green with the Rose & Crown at one end, and
of course pretty stone cottages. The blacksmith’s forge, now
closed, stood at the other end. The church and rectory are up on
the hill. A bridle path into Burford makes a lovely walk.
The common land of the village is an attractive feature consisting
of several steep grassy banks with footpaths and winding lanes and
used in the past to graze cattle and goats.
The church dedicated to Holy Rood consists of a 13th chancel. Shilton
has one pub, a church and a chapel.
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