A thatched ironstone farmhouse at a quiet road junction under trees

Bikeboy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hellidon

A small village in the hills where the River Cherwell begins, with a church rebuilt by William Butterfield, a converted windmill on the hill and the Jurassic Way passing through. A stop on a walk rather than a day out.

Updated 13 November 2026

Nearest station: None. Banbury is about 18 miles by road, Rugby and Long Buckby lie to the north
Parking: No car park. Park with care in the village lanes, and not across field gates
Best time: A dry spring or autumn day, walking the Jurassic Way from Charwelton
When it's busy: Quiet, from all we read. The lanes are narrow, so take care on foot.
Toilets: None that we could find

Hellidon is a small village in the hills south-west of Daventry, about 12 miles north of Banbury Cross in a straight line and a little over 2 miles north-west of Charwelton. Its old centre is a conservation area. There is not much to see, and that is part of its appeal: a church, a windmill on the skyline and footpaths over the high ground where Banbury's river starts.

What to see in Hellidon

St John the Baptist is listed Grade II*, and it is a Victorian church in all but its tower. The tower is medieval. William Butterfield restored and largely rebuilt the nave and chancel in 1846 to 1847 and added the north aisle in 1867, and Mathew Holding added a chancel aisle in 1897. The south door is inscribed 1591.

Inside, Butterfield's hand shows in the zig-zag tiled dado of the sanctuary and a limestone reredos inlaid with coloured marbles and tiles. The east window glass is by Frederick Preedy, and there is a wall monument by Butterfield to the restorer, the Revd C. S. Holthouse. We found no published opening hours, so treat the inside as a bonus.

A battlemented stone tower with a clock and a red-tiled nave behind, across a mown churchyard with gravestones and tall trees — St John the Baptist, Hellidon Photo: Bikeboy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The windmill on the hill is a three-storey brick tower mill, listed Grade II. The list entry dates it to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, and the county's record gives 1842. It is now a house, with an aluminium cap and no machinery inside, so it is one to see from the footpaths, not to visit. The county record says it stopped working about 1905 and was converted in 1975.

Walks from Hellidon

The Jurassic Way, the long path between Banbury and Stamford, comes through Hellidon on its way from Charwelton to Braunston. Northamptonshire Walks' account of that section (opens in a new tab) puts it at about 9 miles, over fields, woodland tracks and bridleways, with hills but nothing too steep, by Lower Catesby and Staverton to the canal at Braunston. For a short outing, walk the stretch between Charwelton and Hellidon and back.

This is where the Cherwell begins. Older accounts put its source in the cellar of the original Charwelton House, and the same walkers say it now rises from a fishpond at Cherwell Farm. From these hills the river runs about 40 miles to the Thames at Oxford.

A white tower mill with a domed silver cap and small windows — The windmill above Hellidon Photo: littlemark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Food and drink in Hellidon

The village pub is the Red Lion (opens in a new tab) on Stockwell Lane, one of the Freespirit pubs, which reopened in May 2019 after two years shut and has six rooms and a self-catering cottage. When we checked, its own site gave food from 12 to 2.30pm and 5.30 to 8.30pm Monday to Friday, 12 to 8.30pm on Saturday and 12 to 7pm on Sunday, and called it dog friendly. There is a golf and spa hotel outside the village that we have not yet been able to check. Otherwise the nearest pub on our list is the Griffin Inn at Chipping Warden.

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When to come to Hellidon

Come on a dry day for the paths. In spring, combine the walk with the bluebells at Badby, about 3 miles east. We found no village events published for visitors.

Last verified 11 November 2026 by our editors

Where to eat and drink in Hellidon

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The Griffin Inn, Chipping Warden

Pubs

A Marston's village local at Chipping Warden, north-east of Banbury, with cask ales, a beer garden, a car park with accessible spaces, electric car charging and live sport.

Dog-friendly · EV charging

Verified Nov 2026

Walks in and around Hellidon

All walks starting here

Badby Woods and Fawsley

Walk · Starts in Badby · 1 hr, 30 mins · Circular

A 2.9-mile (4.7km) circular walk from Fawsley across the old deer park to the edge of Badby Woods and up to Badby church, moderate and about an hour and a half, with about 120m of climbing. It follows the county council's Southern Circular and the Knightley Way.

Sights in and around Hellidon

All sights

St Mary's Church, Badby

Sight · Church · Badby

Badby's Grade II* ironstone church on the hill above the greens, with a tower rebuilt after the old one fell in 1705, glass with the arms of Evesham Abbey, and the start of the Knightley Way opposite. Open every day, 10am to 4pm.

History of Hellidon

Hellidon is not in Domesday Book. A manor called Eliden appears in the twelfth century, and from the thirteenth there were two, Baskervilles and Giffords. The present manor house stands on the site of Baskervilles, and Giffords stood on the north-east side of the village. The church was rebuilt in the 1840s round its old tower, and the windmill on the hill dates from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century; the county record gives 1842.

Questions about Hellidon

Is Hellidon worth visiting?

On a walk, yes. It has a church rebuilt by William Butterfield, a converted windmill on the hill and the Jurassic Way through it. On its own it is a short stop, with one pub.

Where does the River Cherwell start?

In the hills between Hellidon and Charwelton. Older accounts put the source in the cellar of the original Charwelton House, and walkers report that it now rises from a fishpond at Cherwell Farm. The river runs about 40 miles south to the Thames at Oxford.

Can you visit Hellidon windmill?

No. It is a Grade II tower mill converted into a house, with no machinery inside, so see it from the footpaths.

Does the Jurassic Way go through Hellidon?

Yes. The Jurassic Way runs from Charwelton through Hellidon and Lower Catesby to Braunston, about 9 miles, on its way from Banbury to Stamford.

Getting to Hellidon

By car: About 18 miles from Banbury by road, about 35 minutes, by the A361 towards Daventry and the lanes west from Charwelton.
By bus: No bus to the village. Stagecoach's 200, Banbury to Daventry, runs about hourly Monday to Saturday; the nearest stop is Charwelton, a little over 2 miles away by the Jurassic Way (November 2026).
By train: No station. Banbury to the south and Rugby to the north are the main-line stations.
Parking: No car park. Park with care in the lanes.
Access: We have not checked access. The village is on a slope, and the Jurassic Way here crosses fields and bridleways.

Map of Hellidon — © OpenStreetMap contributors