Woodstock
What’s on in and near Woodstock
Events
List of events in Photo View
Local news & stories
Four days of equestrian spectacle at 2026 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials
About Woodstock
Welcome to the Woodstock edition of The Oxford Magazine.
Woodstock, an old English word meaning “clearing in the woods”, is a picturesque historic town in Oxfordshire draped in history.
This dignified market town has historical links to nobility and royalty, as Woodstock Manor was the birthplace of the eldest son of King Edward III and was where Queen Mary I was imprisoned for a time by Elizabeth I.
The town grew up as a coaching stop around the Royal hunting lodge, which later became the site of Blenheim Palace, home of the Dukes of Marlborough since the early 1700s, and the birthplace of the statesman Sir Winston Churchill – he was born in the palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon.
The Oxfordshire Museum can fill you in on the town’s fabled history, while the plush centre of Woodstock more than merits a saunter for its regal townhouses, clad with ivy and wisteria. Today, Woodstock is fast gaining a reputation as an exciting hub for contemporary art, with a host of galleries.