South Stoke, Oxfordshire

In 975 King Edgar granted Osweard land at Stoke, probably later the South Stoke and Offham manors. The manor passed to Eynsham Abbey in 1094. At the time of the Hundred Rolls in 1279, South Stoke had 40 tenants and only three freeholders. Woodcote, east of South Stoke, had developed as a dependent settlement by 1109. It was followed by Exlade Street by 1241 and Greenmoor by 1366. ==Churches==

The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew was built in the 13th century and still has Early English Gothic features including the three-bay arcade between the nave and the north aisles, windows in the north wall of the chancel and the east and west ends of the south and north aisle. The east window of the south aisle has late 13th century stained glass of the Virgin and Child. a new chancel arch was built and new windows were inserted in the east and south walls of the chancel and the north and south walls of the nave. The Vicarage was designed by the Gothic Revival architect Charles Buckeridge and built in 1869. ==Economy and society==

Isambard Kingdom Brunel built Moulsford Railway Bridge in 1839–40. The Ridgeway path runs through the village to access its ferry to Moulsford which is seasonal. ==Notable residents==

• Henry Paget, Earl of Uxbridge • Admiral Sir Charles Hardy • Sir Sydney Cotton (1792–1874), of the Indian Army • Richard Lynch Cotton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University • Edward Bulwer Lytton, author • Detmar Blow, architect. ==Littlestoke==

Littlestoke is a hamlet on the River Thames sometimes seen in texts as Little Stoke. A ferryman until at least 1920 used to be available to cross the Thames to Cholsey. The Ridgeway path runs past the site of the ferry, however now a minor detour is necessary along the national long-distance footpath to South Stoke itself and then north from Moulsford on the opposite bank. As mentioned the South Stoke ferry is seasonal. Between the two, downstream is Moulsford Railway Bridge. ==Public Transport==

From 6 June 2012, South Stoke was served by Go Ride bus service number 134 from Wallingford to Goring-on-Thames. Following the decision by Oxfordshire County Council to axe all bus service subsidies in July 2016, Go Ride ceased operating bus services in Oxfordshire in January 2017, and the service was taken over by a new Community Interest Company Going Forward Buses, based in Goring. ==Gallery==

File:South Stoke.jpg|South Stoke File:Little Stoke.jpg|Little Stoke File:LowerStoke01.JPG|Site of Little Stoke ferry from the Cholsey side ==References==