The parish of Kidlington with Hampton Poyle in the Diocese of Oxford has an estimated population of over 17,000. It lies five miles to the north of Oxford and consists of the civil parish of Kidlington, Gosford (in the civil parish of Gosford & Water Eaton) and Hampton Poyle (in the civil parish of Hampton Gay & Hampton Poyle). “Kidlington” is used loosely to include both Kidlington and Gosford. Kidlington is said to be one of the largest villages in England – residents are keen to continue calling it a “village” to emphasise its community nature, in spite of its size and the range of activities available.
It has a number of very old houses and cottages in a conservation area situated near the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. However, most of its housing is post 1950 and consists of large estates (private or housing associations). Kidlington is largely a dormitory for Oxford but there is increasing activity on a light industrial estate to the north and Begbroke Science Park to the west. Personal circumstances range from a few with considerable affluence to many of moderate means to others who struggle to make ends meet and/or are unemployed. There are, inevitably, a number of young people under extreme strain.
Kidlington is very much divided by a north-south arterial road (the Banbury Road), with nearly all the older housing and the main shopping centre lying to the east. The area to the north-east of the Banbury Road has the most mature housing and a diverse age range. There is a substantial post 1975 housing development in the north-west, mainly occupied by young families, but this contains almost no amenities and no church or community centre. The Garden City area at the southern end of Kidlington (around the church of St John the Baptist) was developed post-war and a number of those who moved in at that time still live there although more recently there has been some re generation as older families have moved away or died. Additional housing has also been established in that area during the past twenty five years, mainly with a younger population. Gosford is at the south-eastern end of the parish. In Gosford/Garden City there is a large Sainsbury’s store and a smaller shopping precinct In 2015 a new railway station, Oxford Parkway, opened just south of Kidlington, providing regular trains to Oxford and London in addition to the frequent bus service to Oxford.
Kidlington has its own large comprehensive school and four primary schools (with nursery or pre-school units attached). It is also home to the headquarters buildings for both Thames Valley Police and the Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service. Just outside the parish boundary there is an extensive light industrial development and an airport (London Oxford Airport). There is a substantial Nursing and Care Home offering residential, nursing and dementia care for adults (Lincroft Meadow) and a number of developments for retirement/supported living housing.
Extensive housing developments are now in progress, or being planned, in various locations around Kidlington; even if not theoretically within our parish boundary these could have a significant effect on the numbers of people looking to Kidlington for their local amenities. This, together with the possible future construction of a new stadium for Oxford United Football Club at the southern end of the village, offer interesting opportunities to develop our ministry, especially around St John’s.
Hampton Poyle is a small hamlet of about 150 people. There are no schools or shops but there is a restaurant/hotel, and a number of large old houses and farms. The hamlet is separated from Kidlington by the River Cherwell and by agricultural land, with no very direct road route (3 miles) between the two, though it is half a mile by footbridge across the River Cherwell. Hampton Poyle was previously a parish in its own right, but it was united with Kidlington in 1997.