Welcome…

…to our small parish of Oxenhall in rural north-west Gloucestershire, sharing its borders with the neighbouring parishes of Newent, Gorsley & Kilcot, Kempley and Dymock and the adjacent county of Herefordshire.

With landscape shaped by streams such as the Ell brook, ancient woodlands such as Hay Wood, and soils derived from Old Red Sandstone from the Triassic period and the later New Red Sandstone, Oxenhall continues to stand the test of time. First recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, the manor of Horsenehal was gifted by William the Conqueror to the powerful Anglo-Norman nobleman Roger de Lacy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. 

Since then it has passed through several noble families such as the Grandissons, and ironmasters like the Foleys and Onslows, before being broken apart in 1913. Evolving from a medieval estate of small tenant farms to modern owner-occupied holdings, it has predominantly provided agricultural (rye, barley, fruit orchards, dairy, beef and sheep farming) and forestry resources (coppicing for charcoal, ironworking, even sporadic coal mining) as the main means of livelihood, with diversification playing additional roles in more recent times.

Home to knights, industrial entrepreneurs and generations of farming families for millennia, today Oxenhall continues to evolve and be called home to our small but vibrant community.  From seasonal woodland walks and public footpaths along historic canal towpaths, to regular church services, community and cultural events, fantastic farm produce and our ever popular Daffodil Weekend, we hope to welcome you soon to our much loved corner of the world.

Please explore our website further to discover how to make the most of your visit.