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Local editions

Wantage

Wantage Town in Oxfordshire

About Wantage

Welcome to the Wantage edition of The Oxford Magazine.

This historic market town that was historically part of Berkshire, Wantage is a very sociable place to be on Friday and Saturday evenings in summer, when its many pubs and restaurants around the market are particularly animated.

The most famous son of Wantage has to be King Alfred the Great who was born here in 849 and ruled the Kingdom of Wessex until 899. There’s a statue of him in the middle of the market place, sculpted by Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a cousin of Queen Victoria.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days, and you should also browse the Vale and Downland Museum, in a 17th-century clothmaker’s house. And should you happen to around in December, the incredible Dickensian Evening is not to be missed.

Local news & stories

Oxfordshire restaurant The Sparsholt set to close before Christmas
/ Food & Drink

Oxfordshire restaurant The Sparsholt set to close before Christmas

The Sparsholt, a pub and restaurant nestled in the tiny Oxfordshire hamlet of Sparsholt near Wantage, is set to close its doors permanently just days before Christmas.
Broadband relief for Stanford in the Vale residents as village gets full-fibre connection
/ Infrastructure

Broadband relief for Stanford in the Vale residents as village gets full-fibre broadband

Broadband relief for more than 1,300 rural residents and business owners in Stanford in the Vale is now a reality, with engineers set to complete work to extend a full-fibre connection to themfrom November.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is holding election hustings for Didcot and Wantage. Background image: Darren Prestoe - winning entry in the birds category of the BBOWT Photography Competition 2023.
/ Government & Politics

Wildlife charity to hold election hustings for Didcot and Wantage

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is holding election hustings for voters in Didcot and Wantage to hear from candidates vying to win seats in their local constituency at the upcoming general election.
The Vale of White Horse District Council has granted planning permission for 192 new homes in Grove, Wantage
/ Construction & Real Estate

Planning permission secured for 192 new homes at major site in Grove

Persimmon Homes secured the approval this week for the next phase of development at its Wellington Gate site, situated on the old airfield between Wantage and Grove.
Roll-out of new 20mph speed limits begins in East Challow near Wantage. Image: Councillors Andy Gregson and Dr Paul Barrow on site
/ Transport

Roll-out of new 20mph speed limits begins in East Challow near Wantage

East Challow, which is just a mile from the market town of Wantage, is “taking part” in the 20mph scheme approved by Oxfordshire County Council in April of last year.
Plans to build new traditional homes in East Hanney near Wantage
/ Housing

Plans to build new traditional homes in East Hanney near Wantage

There are plans to build five new “traditional” homes in East Hanney near Wantage in the hope they will blend in with other “low-key” rural dwellings in the area.
Fun for all the family in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse this Easter break
/ Arts & Entertainment

Fun for all the family in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse this Easter break

Fun activities and community days, family exercise, a museum of marvellous things, and a cartoon circus are just some of the free and low-cost activities available for children and their families to enjoy during the Easter holidays.
Wellington Gate developer Persimmon Homes Wessex attends Wantage career fair.
/ Construction & Real Estate

Wellington Gate developer Persimmon Homes Wessex attends Wantage career fair

The developer behind the Wellington Gate development in Grove marked Apprenticeship Week with a visit to a career fair in Wantage.
Carter Jonas Achieves Planning Consent for St Modwen in Wantage
/ Construction & Real Estate

Carter Jonas Achieves Planning Consent for St Modwen in Wantage

National property consultancy Carter Jonas has secured outline planning consent on behalf of property developer St Modwen for a further component of the residential development at Kingsgrove, northeast Wantage.
Bicester-based EZ-Charge reveals its most popular public EV charging site in Oxfordshire
/ Transport

Bicester-based EZ-Charge reveals its most popular public EV charging sites in Oxfordshire

The data is taken from 250 chargers across the 20 sites of Park & Charge Oxfordshire, the largest public network in the county, operated by EZ-Charge and delivered in collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council and four district councils.