Living in Charlbury
Property
Houses in Charlbury are more expensive than in other nearby areas, largely as a result of the railway. The sole estate agent in the town is Fairfax & Co. Properties are also occasionally sold by agents in Banbury, Chipping Norton, Woodstock or Witney.
For those seeking to rent, check also for private lets - usually through the adverts on this website.
Property can sell quickly, and it is worth registering your interest with estate agents and setting up an e-mail alert with Rightmove if you are determined to move to Charlbury.
Houses in the historic town centre are, unsurprisingly, more expensive than those around the edge. Bear in mind, though, that there is very limited parking in the centre. The largest new addition in recent years is the attractive development at Ticknell Piece Road, built of local stone in the 1990s and with a quiet situation away from through roads.
Shopping
A well-stocked Co-op in Charlbury is open until 10pm every day for day-to-day groceries. There are Post Office services and a free cash machine in the shop. Larger supermarkets are in Witney (Waitrose, Sainsbury's), Kidlington (Sainsbury's), Chipping Norton (Co-op) and Moreton-in-Marsh (Warners Budgens).
Charlbury's other food shops are the Deli & Cafe on Market Street, and the Londis convenience store at Five Ways. Takeaway food is available from Five Ways (Indian/Bangladeshi) all week, and from visiting fish and chip and Thai food vans outside the Community Centre.
Other town centre shops include a pharmacy, hairdressers and barbers, frame and gift shops, stove shop, and beauty boutique. Witney is the largest local shopping centre but Charlbury people also regularly shop in Chipping Norton, Oxford, Banbury and even Cheltenham.
Community life
Charlbury community life is exceptionally rich: there's something going on every night of the week. The community pages on the website give a taste of the many organisations based in the town. Charlbury is welcoming to new residents who involve themselves in community life.
As well as this website, Charlbury has its own newsletter, the Charlbury Chronicle, delivered free to every household in Charlbury every three months. St Mary's Church also produces a regular news-sheet, the Leaflet.
Practicalities
Many people are attracted to Charlbury by its direct train service to London Paddington, Oxford and Reading. The service has greatly improved over recent years, culminating in the redoubling of the railway line and the construction of a new westbound platform. This should both improve reliability and enable more frequent services. Charlbury's roads can be cut off during snowy weather.
Charlbury Primary School plays an important part in the town community (and is rated 'Good' by Ofsted). Local councils are West Oxfordshire District Council, for services including refuse collection and planning, and Oxfordshire County Council, for schools and public transport. There is a Charlbury Town Council.
Useful links
- Primary schools: Charlbury, Chadlington, Stonesfield
- Secondary schools: Chipping Norton, Marlborough (Woodstock), Burford, Wood Green (Witney), Henry Box (Witney)
- West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership
- Thames Valley Police local pages
- The Wychwood Project
- Oxfordshire Cotswolds tourist information
- Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
