Additional information
Terrain
- Field and parkland paths and tracks, some roads, several stiles
Landscape
- Rolling farmland and parkland to southwest of Banbury
Dog friendliness
- Under control across farmland and by Broughton Castle
Parking
- Limited spaces in Broughton village
Toilets en route
- Broughton Castle car park, when open, for visitors; otherwise none on route
About the walk
One of the pleasures of walking in the countryside is that initial glimpse of a ruined church, a wonderfully eccentric folly or a distant baronial hall. The first sighting of Broughton Castle usually provokes a gasp of surprise, too, as it edges teasingly into view across an extensive swathe of... green lawns and classic English parkland. The castle was originally built as a fortified manor house by Sir John de Broughton early in the 14th century. Later it passed to William of Wykeham, the famous founding father of Winchester College and New College, Oxford, who set about converting the manor house into a castle, designing battlements and a gatehouse among other additions. One of Broughton’s greatest attributes is its 14th-century private chapel, approached by a stone staircase from the groined passage. In the 15th century, Broughton passed by marriage to the Fiennes family when the granddaughter of Sir Thomas Wykeham, greatnephew and heir of William, married Sir William Fiennes, 2nd Lord Saye and Sele. During the Elizabethan era the house was transformed virtually beyond recognition into the Tudor building you see today. During the Civil War, the Fiennes family were staunch supporters of the Parliamentarians and did much to defend this corner of Oxfordshire. The 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, demonstrating caution and common sense, was dubbed ‘Old Subtlety’, and it was within the walls of the castle, in the Council Chamber, that Puritan leaders such as Pym, Hampden, Vane and Essex met to plot the Great Rebellion and thwart Charles I. Saye and Sele raised his own regiment of dragoons, known as Lord Saye’s Bluecoats after the colour of their coats, from among his tenantry. Together with his four sons, he fought at the Battle of Edgehill in 1642, but soon afterwards the castle was besieged and captured. The distinctive compound title of Saye and Sele dates from the original creation of the barony in 1447. Members of the Fiennes dynasty still live at Broughton Castle, which is open to the public (not daily – check for opening times), and today the name takes on even greater significance. Ralph and Joseph, both well-known and well-respected film and stage actors, are members of the wider family. Not surprisingly, the castle often crops up as an imposing backdrop in film and television productions. Perhaps most notable on the list of credits is the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love (with Joseph Fiennes as William Shakespeare) in which Broughton Castle appears as Viola’s stately home. The dance, where Will first meets her, was filmed in the Great Hall, with its beautiful plaster ceiling and hanging bosses, while it is in the Oak Room that Wessex tells Viola that she is to be married. For outdoor scenes, an artificial balcony, overlooking formal gardens, was constructed, representing part of Viola’s bedroom.
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Oxfordshire
Located at the heart of England, Oxfordshire enjoys a rich heritage and varied scenery, with Oxford’s elegant streets a highlight for visitors. The landscape encompasses open chalk downland, picturesque rivers and attractive villages, while northwest of Oxfordshire is home to the sleepy backwaters of Abingdon, Wallingford, Wantage, Watlington and Witney that reveal how Oxfordshire’s old towns evolved over the centuries.
