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A stone church with a battlemented west tower in a churchyard of old headstones, under a blue sky

Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Middleton Stoney

A crossroads village 3 miles west of Bicester, beside the Earls of Jersey's park. In the park stand a Norman church, open in daylight, and the tree-covered mound of a castle King John ordered destroyed in 1216. A short stop, best with a walk or a neighbour.

Nearest station
Bicester North or Bicester Village, about 3 miles, then the 25 bus
Parking
For the church, on the grass near it in Middleton Park: drive to the main gates and they open, the parish says. We found no public car park in the village

About Middleton Stoney

Middleton Stoney sits at the crossroads where the Oxford to Brackley road meets the road from Bicester to Lower Heyford, about 3 miles west of the town. The parish takes its second name from the stony Cornbrash it stands on, and nearly half of it is Middleton Park, the Earls of Jersey's estate. The village itself is mostly nineteenth century, built under the Jerseys. What is worth the stop is in the park: the church and the castle mound beside it.

All Saints and the castle

All Saints, listed Grade II*, stands alone in the park because the old village round it was cleared in 1824 and 1825. Its chancel and the carved south doorway are mid-twelfth century; the doorway was moved to its present place when the south aisle was built in the fourteenth. The late twelfth-century north arcade is moulded on its south face only, the north doorway has a hood-mould ending in animal heads, and the thirteenth-century tower was rebuilt stone for stone in 1858. The Jersey chapel of 1805 holds the family's monuments. The parish says the church is normally open in daylight, and the churchyard has a Commonwealth War Graves cemetery.

Beside it is Middleton Stoney Castle, a scheduled monument: a motte about 36 metres across and 4 high, now covered in trees, built round a stone tower whose walls were 3 metres thick. It is first mentioned in 1215; King John ordered it destroyed in 1216, and John Leland found it 'over growne with bushys' in the 1530s. Part of the site was excavated in the 1970s, and the remains of a Roman building lie under an older bank. The base of the medieval village cross was moved into the bailey.

A low grassy mound crowned with tall trees in parkland, seen over a stone wall and a wire fence
The castle mound in Middleton Park, Middleton Stoney Photo: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Middleton Park

King John allowed Gerard de Camville to make a park here in 1201, and gave him deer from Woodstock to stock it; in 1295 the king's huntsman was paid for catching wolves in it. The park you see is the 5th Earl of Jersey's, made in the early nineteenth century. The house went through several rebuildings and a fire in 1753; in 1938 the 9th earl pulled down the last and built a new one designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and his son Robert, now listed Grade I. It is private. Middleton Stoney Cricket Club plays at Middleton Park in summer.

An hour in Middleton Stoney

See the church and the mound, then walk the village street past the Jerseys' cottages. That is the visit. Carry on west to the Heyfords for the airbase and the canal, or south to Kirtlington for lunch.

Walks

We found no council or parish leaflet for a walk from the village, so we suggest no route. Aves Ditch, an ancient earthwork, forms the parish's western boundary, and the old road north to Fritwell follows its line; plan any walk with an OS map.

Food and drink

The Jersey Arms at the crossroads was the Eagle and Child until it changed its name in the time of Sophia, Countess of Jersey. CAMRA records it as closed as a pub in June 2021 and now a bed and breakfast, and we found no website of its own. For a meal, go to the Oxford Arms in Kirtlington or into Bicester.

When to come

In daylight, when the church is open, and in winter or early spring if you want to see the shape of the mound before the leaves hide it. Buses run on Sundays too: Stagecoach's 25A, about hourly.

Last verified 11 November 2026 by our editors

  • A pale stone lodge with a columned porch beside tall gate piers topped with urns and iron gates
  • A tall stone cross on a stepped base between two wooden benches, beside a drive through parkland
  • A road through the village past stone and brick houses, laburnum in flower over a wall, under a blue sky
  • Stone houses behind a dry-stone wall and a small brick outbuilding at the edge of a buttercup meadow
  • A Victorian brick hall with a small bell turret and decorated gables beside the road, a bench by its door

Things to do in Middleton Stoney

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Bicester Leisure Centre

The town's public pool and sports centre on Queens Avenue, run for Cherwell District Council, with a 25m pool, a 15m learner pool and pay-as-you-go public swims booked online.

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    Vue Bicester

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    Bicester's seven-screen cinema, at the Pioneer Centre on Bure Place in the town centre, showing new films in 2D and 3D and Vue's Big Screen Events, with cheaper tickets online and free parking at the local Sainsbury's.

    Family-friendly · Rainy days

    Verified Nov 2026

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    Family-friendly · Rainy days

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    Clip 'n Climb Bicester

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    An indoor climbing centre on Bessemer Close in Bicester with more than 20 auto-belay climbing lines for ages 4 and up, short family sessions from age 2, a pottery-painting room and a café beside the arena.

    Family-friendly · Rainy days

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Where to eat and drink in Middleton Stoney

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    The Horse and Groom, Caulcott

    Pubs · Upper and Lower Heyford

    A tiny family-run free house on the Lower Heyford road at Caulcott, where the landlord, a chef with a fine-dining background, cooks a changing menu known for its sausages. Booking is essential, and it opens Wednesday to Sunday.

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    Mizu Japanese Izakaya, Bicester

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    Family-friendly

    Verified Nov 2026

Walks in and around Middleton Stoney

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  • Meadows and scrub crossed by a winding path, the roofs of a housing estate beyond under a blue sky

    Bicester West Health Route and Bure Park

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Sights in and around Middleton Stoney

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    Bure Park Nature Reserve, Bicester

    Sight · Nature reserve · Bicester

    A local nature reserve of 8.4 hectares on the north side of Bicester: meadow, young woodland, hedges and scrub along the little River Bure, with a pond that holds great crested newts. Free, small and local, a ten-minute walk from the town centre.

Stories about Middleton Stoney

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    Things to do in Bicester

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    Things to do in Bicester: St Edburg's Church, the Market Square and the Friday market, the town trail and Garth Park, Bicester Village, the Scramble days at Bicester Heritage, then the Cold War tours at Heyford Park and Rousham's garden, with what to skip.

History of Middleton Stoney

Middleton was granted a weekly market at the start of the thirteenth century and a market and fair in 1294, and in 1279 it had 14 burgage holders, a sign its lords were trying to make it more than a farming village. It never grew into a town. The name Stoney is first recorded in 1552.

William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey, bought the house and park in 1737, and his family held it into the twentieth. The 5th earl swapped land with the rector in 1814 to enlarge the park, and in 1824 to 1825 the old manor house and its cottages by the church were pulled down. The 7th earl built the reading room in 1884, set up a co-operative shop and laid out pitches for cricket and football.

Questions about Middleton Stoney

Can you visit the church in Middleton Park?

Yes. The parish says the church lies in the private Jersey estate but is open to everyone, normally in daylight. On foot, use the small gate beside the main gate or come in from School Lane; by car, drive up to the gates and they open.

Is there a castle at Middleton Stoney?

Only its mound. The motte and bailey beside the church is a scheduled monument, about 36 metres across and covered in trees. King John ordered the castle destroyed in 1216; the remains of its stone tower lie buried in the mound.

Is there a pub in Middleton Stoney?

Not that we could confirm. CAMRA records the Jersey Arms as closed as a pub in 2021 and now a bed and breakfast. The Oxford Arms in Kirtlington is about 3 miles south-west.

Getting to Middleton Stoney

By bus
Thames Travel's 25 and 25A run up to twice an hour, Monday to Saturday, from Bicester to Middleton Stoney and Heyford Park; on Sundays Stagecoach runs a 25A about hourly (November 2026).
By train
Bicester North and Bicester Village are each about 3 miles away; take the 25 from Bicester Village station.
By car
About 3.5 miles, 8 minutes, from Bicester. From Banbury, about 15 miles, 21 minutes, by the M40.
Parking
For the church, on the grass near it inside the park. No public car park in the village that we found.
Access
The church is reached through the park gates or from School Lane; the parish says to park on the grass near it.
Map of Middleton Stoney
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Places near Middleton Stoney

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