Skip to content
Banburyshire
Ironstone houses and the Dolphin Inn around the war memorial, a church spire at the end of the road

Bikeboy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Middleton Cheney

A large Northamptonshire village 3 miles east of Banbury whose Grade I church holds what Historic England calls an important collection of Morris glass, designed by Morris, Burne-Jones, Webb and Ford Madox Brown. The church is the reason to come.

Nearest station
Banbury, about 3 miles, then the Stagecoach 500 bus or a taxi
Parking
We found no public car park. Park with care near Church Lane, OX17 2NR, and not across driveways

About Middleton Cheney

Middleton Cheney is a big commuter village just over the Northamptonshire border, 3 miles east of Banbury and off the A422 to Brackley, with Chenderit School, a secondary school, among its buildings. Visitors come for one building: All Saints, whose windows by the William Morris firm are worth a detour for anyone interested in Victorian glass.

All Saints and the Morris windows

All Saints in Church Lane is listed Grade I, an early fourteenth-century church of squared ironstone with a Perpendicular west tower, a castellated parapet and pinnacles, and a carved west doorway. Sir George Gilbert Scott restored it in 1865. Historic England's listing calls its stained glass an important collection by the William Morris firm, with windows of 1864 to 1865 designed by Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, Philip Webb and Ford Madox Brown.

The glass runs from 1865 to 1893. The east window of the chancel was made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co to designs by Morris, Webb, Burne-Jones, Madox Brown and Simeon Solomon. The west window, the Fiery Furnace of 1871, is by Burne-Jones. Elsewhere in the glass, a row of angels holds globes that tell the story of the Creation. The link is personal: Burne-Jones was a friend of the vicar, W. C. Buckley, who died in 1892. The village's history page adds that Morris designed the pattern of the painted ceiling. Look too for the Perpendicular font carved with rosettes, and the screen, with cresting by Scott. We found no published opening hours. The church's A Church Near You page asks visitors who want to look round to get in touch, so check the church's website, allsaints-mc.church, before a long trip.

A stained glass window glowing in a dark wall: three robed figures standing in golden flames, with small panels of angels and Adam and Eve in the tracery above
The Fiery Furnace window, All Saints, Middleton Cheney Photo: Simon Cope, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr

The battle of 1643

On 6 May 1643 a Parliamentarian force from Northampton tried for Banbury and was caught near Middleton Cheney by Royalist cavalry under the Earl of Northampton, who won. The village history says the parish register records 46 burials of Parliamentarian dead at All Saints the next day; the county's Historic Environment Record, citing a local account, gives the 46 as Royalists. Where exactly the fighting happened is still uncertain: a Battlefields Trust survey of a possible site in February 2023 found a single lead bullet. There is nothing to visit on the ground. Our story of the Civil War in Banburyshire sets it in context.

An hour in Middleton Cheney

Park near the church, give the windows the best part of an hour, then go on. Sulgrave Manor is a short drive north-east in its season, and the George and Dragon at Chacombe, the next village, is the nearest pub we have checked for lunch.

Walks from Middleton Cheney

We found no council or parish leaflet for a walk from the village, so we suggest no route. Footpaths lead out to Chacombe and the fields east of Banbury, so use an OS Explorer map.

Food and drink

The village has two pubs on Main Road. The New Inn, at number 45, was taking Christmas 2026 bookings on its own website when we checked, which gives its times only as posters, so ring 01295 710978 for food times. The Dolphin, a listed building with a 1717 datestone at the back, has no website of its own that we could find, so ring first. The George and Dragon at Chacombe is the other checked choice.

When to come

A bright day, for the glass. The west window faces the late sun and the east window the morning, so either end of the day has something.

Last verified 11 November 2026 by our editors

  • A lane between an ironstone wall and a grass verge climbing towards a tall church spire
  • An ironstone church with a tall west spire and clock above a churchyard wall on a clear day
  • A cascade of thousands of knitted flowers falling from the top of a church tower to the grass
  • A field of yellow oilseed rape with a church spire rising above the trees beyond
  • A thatched ironstone cottage behind a dry-stone wall, a church spire on the skyline

Things to do in Middleton Cheney

See all
The red shopfront entrance to Banbury Museum & Gallery inside Castle Quay, a shopper walking past

Museums and galleries · Banbury

Banbury Museum and Gallery

Banbury's free town museum, on the Oxford Canal with an entrance in Castle Quay: Bronze Age finds, a cannon from Banbury Castle, plush cloth and a canal gallery, with paid touring exhibitions and a canalside café.

  • A traditional narrowboat moored at the historic brick workshops of Tooley's Boatyard along the Oxford Canal in Banbury

    Tooley's Historic Boatyard

    Historic houses and heritage · Banbury

    A working dry dock and forge on the Oxford Canal in Banbury, in use since 1778 and now hemmed in by Castle Quay. Small museum in the chandlery, Saturday boat trips in summer, and blacksmith courses. A scheduled monument and the start of Tom Rolt's Narrow Boat.

    Car-free

    Verified Nov 2026

  • A gravel path through stone gate piers with ball finials to the manor between dark yew hedges

    Sulgrave Manor

    Historic houses and heritage · Sulgrave

    The Tudor manor house built by George Washington's English ancestors, in Sulgrave north east of Banbury, and a museum of the Anglo-American link since 1921. Open Sundays to Tuesdays in season, walk-ins welcome. Closed for the winter until March 2027.

    Family-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

  • The gatehouse and front of Broughton Castle mirrored in its moat in evening light

    Broughton Castle

    Historic houses and heritage · Broughton

    A moated medieval manor house near Banbury, turned into an Elizabethan mansion by the Fiennes family, tied to the opposition to Charles I and seen in Shakespeare in Love and Wolf Hall. Open on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, April to September.

    Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

Where to eat and drink in Middleton Cheney

See all
  • An ironstone pub front with a wisteria trained around an arched doorway

    The George and Dragon, Chacombe

    Pubs

    A family-run village pub at Chacombe, north-east of Banbury and close to Middleton Cheney, with a private lounge for up to 40 and live music. It serves lunch and supper from Wednesday, closes on Mondays, and on Tuesdays is drinks only.

    Verified Nov 2026

  • A large dark barn with a sign above a wide forecourt, greenhouses and parked cars beyond

    Greenhouse Cafe, Wardington

    Cafes and tearooms

    The café at Barn Farm Plants garden centre, Upper Wardington, near Banbury, serving homebaked cakes and freshly made food with indoor and outdoor seating, on the Jurassic Way and beside an antiques centre.

    Family-friendly · Walker-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

  • Long red and yellow benches in a food hall under trailing flowers, a Jammin Pizza counter behind

    Lock29, Banbury

    Restaurants · Banbury

    A canalside food hall and independent market at Castle Quay in Banbury: sushi, pizza, burgers, pasta, crepes, afternoon tea and a bar, with small shops alongside. Dogs on leads are welcome.

    Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Car-free

    Verified Nov 2026

Walks in and around Middleton Cheney

All walks starting here
  • An ironstone gable with a Banbury Road sign, the road dipping past a stone wall into the village

    Banbury Ironstone Heritage Walk

    Walk · Starts in Banbury · 4 hrs · Circular

    The Banbury Ironstone Heritage Walk is a 9.6-mile (15.5km) moderate circular walk from Banbury station, about four hours with 180m of climbing. It follows the canal, skirts the northern estates, reaches Wroxton and North Newington, and ends at Banbury Cross.

  • A narrow surfaced path running between a hedge and a field edge, a large bare tree ahead in low winter sun

    Banbury Fringe Circular Walk

    Walk · Starts in Banbury · 5 hrs · Circular

    A 10.6-mile (17.1km) waymarked circular walk round the edge of Banbury, moderate and about five hours: the Oxford Canal south to Bodicote, the Salt Way past Crouch Hill, field and wood paths by Giant's Cave, and an old ironstone railway back to the canal.

  • An empty station platform with blue railings and a Kings Sutton sign, the tracks running straight between trees

    Kings Sutton Railway Walk from the Station

    Walk · Starts in Kings Sutton · 2 hrs · Circular

    A 4.4-mile (7.1km) circular walk from Kings Sutton station on the parish's own Railway route, easy to moderate and about two hours. It climbs through the village past the spire, crosses fields north, and returns over the railway line on foot by the old Bog Spring.

Sights in and around Middleton Cheney

All sights
  • Spiceball Country Park

    Spiceball Country Park, Banbury

    Sight · Common or park · Banbury

    Banbury's largest park, 26 acres split by the River Cherwell with the Oxford Canal along one edge: play area and skate ramps on the town side, woodland walks and nature trails across the wooden bridges. Free, with free parking on Grimsbury Green.

  • The brick towpath of the Oxford Canal in Banbury, boats moored at Tooley's Boatyard and the glass bridge of Castle Quay

    Oxford Canal, Banbury

    Sight · River · Banbury

    The Oxford Canal through the middle of Banbury, from the lock and Tooley's Boatyard, a scheduled monument, past the museum to Spiceball Park, with a towpath north to Cropredy. Free, open always, and a few minutes from the station.

  • The pillared Corn Exchange frontage on Banbury Market Place, shoppers crossing the square

    Banbury Market Place

    Sight · Historic building · Banbury

    The square at the centre of Banbury, where a Thursday market has run since before 1155. The charter market is on every Thursday and Saturday, 9am to 4pm (Cherwell District Council, 2026), among timber-framed houses of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

History of Middleton Cheney

The village takes the second half of its name, its own history says, from the Chenduit family, to whom the land was granted. The same history dates the church to about 1300, with its arcades probably added while William of Edington was rector, between 1322 and 1335. He later became Bishop of Winchester. In the fifteenth century the roof was lowered and the tower rebuilt in its present form.

The bells come from the Bagley foundry at Chacombe, five of them cast between 1640 and 1693. The custom of strewing the church with hay probably ended with the inclosure of 1769. A century later the Morris glass arrived, through the vicar's friendship with Burne-Jones.

Questions about Middleton Cheney

Who designed the windows at Middleton Cheney church?

The William Morris firm. Historic England's listing names Morris, Burne-Jones, Philip Webb and Ford Madox Brown for windows of 1864 to 1865, and Burne-Jones designed the Fiery Furnace west window of 1871. The series runs to 1893.

Is All Saints, Middleton Cheney, open to visitors?

We could not find published opening hours. The village website points to the parish's own site for services and events, so check there before a long trip.

What was the battle of Middleton Cheney?

A Royalist victory on 6 May 1643, when the Earl of Northampton's cavalry caught a Parliamentarian force from Northampton that had tried to take Banbury. The village history says 46 were buried in the churchyard the next day, as the parish register records.

How do you get to Middleton Cheney from Banbury?

By the A422 towards Brackley, about 8 minutes by car, or on the Stagecoach 500 from bay 5 at Banbury bus station, about hourly through the day.

Getting to Middleton Cheney

By bus
Stagecoach 500 (Banbury, Brackley, Bicester) runs about hourly by day from bay 5 at Banbury bus station. One 200 journey each way calls, Monday to Saturday (11 November 2026).
By train
Banbury station is about 3 miles away. Take the 500 or a taxi.
By car
About 4 miles from Banbury Cross, 8 minutes, by the A422 towards Brackley. M40 junction 11 is on the way.
Parking
No public car park that we found. Park considerately near Church Lane, OX17 2NR.
Access
We have not checked step-free access at All Saints, or the paths in the churchyard. The church's A Church Near You page lists toilets.
Map of Middleton Cheney
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Places near Middleton Cheney

Don't miss a thing

What is on, what is new and what is in season in Banburyshire, in your inbox about once a month.

About once a month. Unsubscribe at any time.