Visit Midsomer Villages and Hamlets
TwitterBlogNews RSS

DORCHESTER-on-THAMES

Dorchester AbbeyA pretty country village crowned by the impressive Abbey Church of St Peter & St Paul known as Dorchester Abbey. The picturesque high street includes three 16th century coaching inns, a small shop and tea rooms. Pick up a range of self-guided walking leaflets covering the town, Midsomer Murders connections and The Thames Path, or take a stroll out to Wittenham Clumps via Days Lock. The Abbey regularly hosts festival, concerts and events as well as religious services.

In the episode ‘The House in the Woods’, Dorchester Abbey’s museum appears as Midsomer Newton Museum where Joyce Barnaby meets with the local conservation group.

Access: Located 4-5 miles from Wallingford

Dorchester-on-Thames at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Dorchester Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
The Abbey and Abbey Museum Things that go bump in the night Dorchester Abbey & Cloisters Museum The George The George
The George Hotel Dead in the water Self guided walks The White Hart The White Hart
The White Hart Hotel Dance with the dead Thames Path Fleur de Lys Fleur de Lys
Fleur de Lys The house in the woods Wittenham Clumps Abbey tea-rooms Other options
Post Office The maid in splendour   Newington Nurseries (nearby)  
Village Hall Four funerals and a wedding   Waterfront Café (nearby)  
  Beyond the grave   The Six Bells (nearby)  
  The night of the stag   Lillys  
  Small Mercies      

EWELME

Ewelme Watercres BedsThe Midsomer fictional village of Aspern Tallow is a pretty stone village centred around a collection of 15th century buildings including the church, almshouses and a small school believed to be the oldest in England. Buy provisions at the village store and head into the wild nature reserve running behind the historic watercress beds which featured in 'Secrets and Spies'. St Mary the Virgin Church has a magnificent tomb for Alice Chaucer, and Jerome K Jerome (author of Three Men in a Boat) is buried in the churchyard. The Church also featured in the film Les Miserables starring Hugh Jackman.

Access: Located 2-3 miles from Wallingford

Ewelme at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Ewelme Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
Rabbits Hill Secrets and Spies Watercress beds nature reserve The Shepherd's Hut Other options
Watercress Beds The Black Book Watercress Centre    
Almshouses Beyond the Grave      
  Small Mercies      
  The Sword of Guillaume      

MAPLEDURHAM / MOULSFORD

Mapledurham HouseMoulsford is a riverside hamlet located on the River Thames and welcomes passing boats on the pontoon. Slightly downriver, Mapledurham is a riverside manor house, first mentioned in the Domesday book, offering guided tours of the house, the watermill and boat trips. Enjoy a ceam tea made from flour ground there, in the only mill still operational on the river Thames, or visit St Margaret's Churchto see the Bardolf Aisle - final resting place of Mapledurham's Lords & Ladies since 1395.

Mapledurham house featured as Bingham House Stud Farm in 'Dark Secrets'

Access: Located between Wallingford & Reading

Mapledurham at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Mapledurham Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
Mapledurham house The Fisher King (John Nettles) Mapledurham House The Beetle & Wedge The Beetle & Wedge
Moulsford Church Dark Secrets (Neil Dudgeon) Mapledurham Water Mapledurham Other options
The Riverside        

WARBOROUGH

Warborough has all the markings of a typical Midsomer village – a cricket pavilion, village green, pretty church and country pub. Located at the side of The Green is The Six Bells pub which has appeared in at least four episodes, once under its own name, but also in the guise of The Quill Inn, The Black Swan and The Luck in the World. Fans of the series will most definitely recognise where DCI Barnaby and Sergeant Troy used to sup a pint whilst discussing the latest case.

Midsomer Mallow in Bloom was filmed on the Green where there is a not dissimilar village festival held every year and the cricket pavilion on the Green appeared as Badger’s Drift Village Hall in The Great and the Good.

Access: Located 4-5 miles from Wallingford

Warborough at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Warborough Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
The Six Bells Market for Murder   The Six Bells The Six Bells
Village Green Bad Tidings     Other options
Cricket Pavilion The Great and the Good      
  Left for Dead      
  Sins of Commission      

BRIGHTWELL BALDWIN

Lord Nelson pub at Brightwell Baldwin

A charming and peaceful rural hamlet with a free house pub which means it can stock its own choice of beers – regulars on offer are Black Sheep, Rebellion IPA and Brakspears Bitter on hand pump as well as regular guest beers. St Bartholomew’s Church opposite the pub was used as the location for the funeral scenes in Destroying Angel and A Talent for Life.

This countryside setting is perfect for country walks and picnics. Stay over at the pub to enjoy a gorgeous sunrise and sunset across this magnificent landscape.

Access: Located 2-3 miles from Watlington

Brightwell Baldwin at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Brightwell Baldwin Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
St Bartholomew Church Destroying Angel   The Lord Nelson The Lord Nelson
  A Talent for Life     Other options
  Judgement Day      
  The Glitch      

LEWKNOR

Lewknor High Street by Bill Nicholls

Lewknor is a small village built in the characteristic flint and brick architecture of the Chiltern Hills, where the school, (and its pupils), appeared as the Upper Warden school in two episodes of Midsomer Murders. At the heart of the village is The Leathern Bottle. This pretty Brakspears pub dates back 450 years and has an outside seating area where you are almost guaranteed to see the wonderful red kites soaring over the hills.

Probably best known for fabulous walks, Lewknor is situation very close to The Ridgeway National Trail and features less than five minutes from the M40 motorway.

Access: Located via M40 junction 6

Lewknor at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Lewknor Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
Primary School Death and Dust   The Leathern Bottle Other options
Church Farm The House in the Woods      
Church Lane A Tale of Two Hamlets      

NETTLEBED

The White Hart at Nettlebed

A small village along the old coaching route from London to Oxford with a history of brick making, using the local clay that runs through the Chiltern Hills. There is still a kiln on the Green just along from The White Hart, a pretty pub parts of which date back to the 14th century and which appeared in The Maid in Splendour as a pub of the same name. It’s a good place to stay and explore Midsomer, being on the road between Henley and Wallingford. The church, village shop and pretty cottages make a nice little village walk.

Access: Located 4-5 miles from Henley

Nettlebed at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Nettlebed Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
The White Hart The Maid in Splendour Greys Court The White Hart The White Hart
Village Hall Death and dust Stonor House   Other options
The High Street Dance with the Dead Nuffield Place    
  The Magician’s Nephew      

ROTHERFIELD

Greys Court

Rotherfield Peppard and Rotherfield Greys have been used a number of times for filming, most notably perhaps in Orchis Fatalis when the National Trust’s Grey’s Court provided the location for Brother Robert’s monastery, and more recently, the background for the Crawley picnic in Downton Abbey.

Rotherfield Peppard’s primary school appeared as Badger’s Drift Primary School in Death’s Shadow.

Access: 2-4 miles from Henley

Rotherfield at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in Rotherfield Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
Greys Court Orchis Fatalis Greys Court Greys Court Other options
Primary School Death’s Shadow The Herb Farm The Unicorn (neaby)  
All Saints Church King’s Crystal      
  Blood Wedding      

THE HASELEYS

Great Haseley Village

Great and Little Haseley have been much filmed for Midsomer Murders, with The Plough Pub at Great Haseley offering the quirky Oxfordshire pub game of Aunt Sally at which DCI Barnaby manages an impossibly high score! The pub is one of a growing number of community pubs that belongs to the village who raised £400,000 to retain it. Off the beaten track, these two villages are quintessential Midsomer and a great place to park up and wander - several cottages will be recognisable as homes for dubious Midsomer residents (please be aware not to linger too long as these are private houses).

The church was used for wedding scenes in ‘Midsomer Rhapsody’ and the postman’s funeral in ‘Dark Autumn’. The village hall is perhaps the most filmed location throughout the series – an antique shop in ‘Dark Autumn’, the venue for the book signing sessions in ‘The Fisher King’, the photographic exhibition in ‘Picture of Innocence’ and Midsomer Parva village hall in ‘Blood Weddding’.

March Magna Library

Access: from M40, near Thame on route to Wallingford

The Haseleys at a glance

Filmed locations Episodes filmed in the Haseleys Local Attractions Places to Eat Places to Stay
St Peter's Church Dark Autumn   The Plough Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Village Hall The Fisher King   Crazy Bear (nearby) Other options
The Plough Pub Midsomer Rhapsody   Newington Nurseries (nearby)  
  Vixen’s Run   Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons (nearby)  
  Blood Wedding      
  The Silent Land      
  Picture of Innocence      

At a glance guides provide information specific to each village or hamlet. To search a bigger range of places to stay the 'other options'' link takes you to the local Southern Oxfordshire website which lists accommodation available in the wider area.

Brightwell Baldwin image © Copyright Des Blenkinsopp reproduced under Creative Commons ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Lewknor High Street image © Copyright Bill Nicholls and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence
Nettlebed, White Hart © Copyright Oxfordshire villages

 

 






Your admin, click close to switch back to your website – or you can logout here Help & support Change my password
HomeHomePagesPagesGalleriesGalleriesNewsNewsBlogBlogSubscribersSubscribersBackupBackupBack to Site