Carterton is a town in West Oxfordshire district in the county of Oxfordshire, England and is south-west of Witney. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 15,769. The current population as estimated by censusdata.uk is 18,691.

History

Much of what is now the northern part of the town was held by the Moleyns family from at least 1369, but in 1429 William Lord Moleyns was killed at the siege of Orléans and the land passed to the Hungerford family. During the medieval period the main road through Carterton was one of the most important in the country, taking trains of packhorses laden with Cotswold wool over Radcot Bridge and on to Southampton for export to the weaving centre of Europe. A reading room mentioned in 1917 was succeeded by a small library also in part of the former Emporium. Refreshment rooms were mentioned in 1924, the Beehive Hotel on Burford Road was opened in 1932, and the Golden Eagle (renamed the Olde Aviator in 1996) was opened in the former Emporium in 1954.

Land for a recreation ground north of Alvescot Road was given by Carter in 1906, and football, cricket, tennis, and bowls clubs were formed around 1920, together with a choral society. From 1904 to the 1920s there was a resident physician, and in 1928 a solicitor visited once a week. Construction work on RAF Brize Norton began in 1935. Wartime saw the rapid growth of the base. An air raid destroyed 46 aircraft; the remainder were then dispersed round the village and one hangar which is now an Aldi supermarket on the Alvescot Road. From 1950 to 1965 the camp was to be the home of the USAF bomber wings. The RAF returned in 1965 and undertook a large building programme, making RAF Brize Norton its main air transport base in the country.

thumb|Koi fishpond floor mosaic in Tower Square, Carterton. Commissioned by the Town Council in 2008 by artist [[Gary Drostle.]]

Governance

The grandfather of Theo Walcott, Windell "Joe" Walcott (1926–2018), was council chairman between 2002 and 2006 and mayor of Carterton from 2000 to 2002. He was awarded an MBE in 2006 for his services to the community in Carterton and West Oxfordshire.

The current Mayor of Carterton is Simon Watson, who was elected Town Mayor and Chair of the Council at the Annual Town Council Meeting on 19 May 2026.

Education

Carterton has one Secondary School:

  • Carterton Community College,

Carterton has five primary schools:

  • Carterton Primary School,
  • Edith Moorhouse Primary School,
  • The Gateway Primary School,
  • St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School and
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.

St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's are voluntary controlled schools. Carterton Community College is the town's secondary school.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Oxford TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Oxford on 95.2 FM, Heart South on 102.6 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South (formerly Jack FM) on 106.4 FM and Witney Radio, a community based station which broadcast to the town on 99.9 FM. The town is served by the local newspapers, Oxford Times,Oxfordshire Guardian and Witney Gazette.

Amenities

Carterton has shops, four public houses. There is a public lending library in the town centre. it also has local shops as well as an Asda, Morrisons and Aldi.

Sport and leisure

Carterton has a Non-League football team Carterton F.C. who play at Kilkenny Lane. The town also has squash and bowls clubs, as well as a leisure centre complete with a swimming pool and several gyms.

Climate

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Carterton Community Website