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Chimney, Oxfordshire

Coordinates: 51°42′22″N 1°28′59″W / 51.706°N 1.483°W / 51.706; -1.483
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Chimney
Chimney Meadows on the River Thames
Chimney is located in Oxfordshire
Chimney
Chimney
Location within Oxfordshire
OS grid referenceSP3500
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBampton
Postcode districtOX18
Dialling code01993
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteAston, Cote, Chimney and Shifford
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
51°42′22″N 1°28′59″W / 51.706°N 1.483°W / 51.706; -1.483

Chimney is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney, in the West Oxfordshire district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is on the River Thames near Shifford Lock, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Witney. Chimney Meadows 620 acres (250 ha) is the largest nature reserve managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.

History

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Chimney's toponym is derived from Old English, meaning "Island of a man named Ceomma".[1] A series of ring ditches to the west of the hamlet have been scheduled as an ancient monument,[2] as has an oval causewayed enclosure which is approximately 150 metres (490 ft) across.[3] A large Anglo-Saxon cemetery, in use from the mid 10th century to the mid 11th century, has been found west of Chimney Farm.[4] Chimney has been a small settlement since then. There were about 18 households in the 13th century, and the population reached a peak of 46 in 1821. In 1931, the last year for which separate figures are available, the population was 24.[4][5]

Two late 17th century cottages at Chimney Farm have been designated as Grade II listed buildings,[6] as has the Lower Farmhouse.[7] Until the 19th century Chimney was a township in the parish of Bampton.[8] It was made a separate civil parish in 1866. On 1 April 1932 the parish was united with Aston and Cote to form Aston Bampton, which was united with Shifford in 1954 to form the parish of Aston Bampton and Shifford, later renamed Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney.[9]

Geography

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The area lies on alluvial deposits from the River Thames producing calcareous clayey soils of the Thames series.[10] Chimney Meadows is a 620 acres (250 ha) national nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest which forms part of the floodplain of the River Thames.[10] It includes wild flower meadows with cowslip, yellow rattle, common knapweed, oxeye daisy and pepper-saxifrage which supports insects, wildfowl and waders. It is the largest nature reserve managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, who took it over in 2003.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-869103-7.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Ring ditches (1006341)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Causewayed enclosure, 900m west of Chimney Farm (1018656)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b Crossley & Currie, 1996, page 82 Chimney Archived 21 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Population statistics Chimney CP/Hmlt through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Chimney Farm Cottages, at SP 3585 0094 (1182615)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Lower Farmhouse (1368240)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  8. ^ Crossley & Currie, 1996, pages 6-8: Bampton Archived 21 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Aston Bampton and Shifford CP". A Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Chimney Meadows" (PDF). Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Chimney Meadows". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve". Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Retrieved 6 March 2020.

Sources

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  • Crossley, Alan; Currie, C.R.J. (eds.); Baggs, A.P.; Chance, Eleanor; Colvin, Christina; Day, C.J.; Selwyn, Nesta; Townley, Simon C. (1996). A History of the County of Oxford, Volume 13: Bampton Hundred (Part One). Victoria County History. pp. 6–62, 80–86. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
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