Ardington - Country Estate

The village of Ardington, with neighbouring Lockinge, forms part of a large self-contained country estate established in the 19th century by landowner Robert Loyd-Lindsay. He fought in the Crimea, was one of the recipients of the Victoria Cross and later became Baron Wantage. Loyd-Lindsay resigned from the army to farm the Lockinge Estate, a wedding present from his father-in-law, a wealthy banker.

During the next few years, Loyd-Lindsay rebuilt Ardington and Lockinge as model villages, formed a co-operative selling good-quality food, and became one of this area's great agricultural pioneers, creating an enterprising business. A Daily News reporter wrote of the estate: 'It is a little self-contained world in which nobody is idle, nobody is in absolute want, in which there is no hunger or squalor.'

In 1944 the 18,000-acre (7,290ha) estate passed to Christopher Loyd, son of Lady Wantage's cousin. To help clear death and estate duties amounting to £500,000, Loyd ordered the Wantage's old home, in whose gardens 50 men once worked, to be demolished. He also sold 8,000 acres (3,240ha), a number of cottages and many art treasures, and moved to a smaller house near by.

However, not all has been lost. The social, economic and political climate may have changed since Baron Wantage's day, but there have been determined efforts in recent years to try and ensure that the estate continues to survive. Many of the old farm outbuildings have been converted into craft shops, workshops, offices, a picture gallery and a pottery, helping to boost the local economy, raise the village's profile and provide much-needed employment for local people.

Next door to Ardington, Lockinge has been a venue for point-to-point meetings for 50 years. Nationally, Lockinge is one of the few courses where the original turf remains, giving perfect, fast-draining going. The undulating landscape is ideal too, providing spectators with a natural amphitheatre. Many famous names in the world of racing are associated with Lockinge. The late Princess Margaret and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother attended the Easter Monday meeting in 1957, watching their horse Gipsy Love finish second in the Open race.

Where to eat and drink

Try Cobwebs Tearoom at Ardington for light refreshments. The 400-year-old Boar's Head has a reputation for good food. The Wheatsheaf at East Hendred is one of several pubs in the village.

While you're there

Take a walk through East Hendred. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the village was closely associated with cloth-making and a fair took place annually along the Golden Mile, stretching as far as the Ridgeway. Many of the timber-built houses and thatched cottages in East Hendred date from that period.

What to look for

Ginge Brook helped the villages of East and West Hendred achieve prosperity. It powered watermills, not only to grind corn, but also to work fulling mills for beating and fulling the cloth that was manufactured in this area. The brook was also used in the process of soaking flax to make the fibres soft enough to spin.