The best places to live in Oxfordshire by Muddy Stilettos

Lifestyle website Muddy Stilettos has come up with a shortlist of towns and villages across the county so that people can vote and choose a winner.

Voting got under way on April 21 and is due to finish on May 26, with the result announced soon afterwards.

READ MORE: Star of hit detective series speaks about new episodes

On the shortlist of eight are Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, near Wallingford, Charlbury, Goring, Great Milton, Headington, Henley, Hook Norton, and Whitchurch-on-Thames.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie and family live in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.

Boris Johnson with Rev Kevin Beer at a Brightwell church fete in 2023 (Image: Oxford Mail)

A spokesperson for Muddy Stilettos says: “Tucked between Didcot and Wallingford, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell has a ‘middle-of-nowhere’ feel and yet it’s just minutes from your pick of buzzy market towns and only 40 mins from Oxford city centre.

“You might even spot a certain mop-haired celeb down at the local; Boris and Carrie Johnson snapped up the nine-bedroom Brightwell Manor and are raising their growing brood in this picture-perfect village.”

Another village on the shortlist, Great Milton, also has a celebrity resident, chef Raymond Blanc, who runs Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons restaurant, which is closed for refurbishment.

The website writes: “Two Michelin-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons (Le Manoir for short) is considered one of the best hotel restaurants in the whole of Europe, and has taken pride of place at the edge of the Great Milton village for 40 years.”

Raymond Blanc (Image: Oxford Mail)

Headington is the only location in Oxford to be included on the shortlist, with Muddy Stilettos saying: “Oxford without the tourist buses, you say? Count us in.

“Leafy streets, a quaint old high street with more than a whiff of the Cotswolds, green space galore and – wait for it – a giant shark sticking out of someone’s roof: Headington is where Oxfordians come for laid-back city living with bags of character.

“Sitting pretty on Oxford’s eastern hills, Headington feels like a peaceful little pocket – yet hop on a bus (or bike, if you’re feeling virtuous) and you’re in the city centre in 10 minutes.”

The Headington shark (Image: Contributed)

The lifestyle gurus add: “Expect wide avenues, period homes, top-notch schools, and a friendly, village-in-the-city vibe.

“Doctors, academics, young families – everyone wants in.

“And with the excellent John Radcliffe and The Churchill hospitals right here on the doorstep (the John Radcliffe being a world-class teaching hospital, no less), there’s always a medic handy when the Prosecco bites back.”

Henley-on-Thames (Image: Contributed)

Henley has also won praise on the shortlist.

A spokesperson for Muddy Stilettos said: “One of the loveliest riverside towns in Oxfordshire – and yes, you’ll pay for it – Henley has thrown off its blue rinse reputation in recent years and become a sought-after hub for families and urban exiles.

“They’re attracted to its arthouse cinema, gazillions of home turf festivals, the world-famous Regatta, well established literature and music fests, and its impressive foodie and shopping scene.”