TV and Film
It is well known that Midsomer Murders was filmed in South Oxfordshire with locations in and around Watlington. SODC have published a Driving Trail which is now features on this website.
Inspector Morse (From 1987), Poirot (From 1989) and Great Expectations (3-part series) have all used locations in the Watlington area.
Over the years lots of other famous films have been shot in the local area including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Shirlock Holmes (2011), Philomena (2013), The Fury (2014) and Star Wars (2023). In addition, Three Bags Full with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson was partly filmed in 2024 on Watlington High St. The film is due to be released in 2026 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32565993)
Going forward Watlington would like to build on this momentum and are planning a film festival in late 2025. The focus will be independent, short films with no specific genre. The films will be submitted by local directors and will be shown at 2-3 locations in the town during the day and evening. More detailed information will be posted later in 2025.
Watlington Town Hall
The Watlington Town Hall was established in the centre of town in 1664 by Thomas Stonor as a school and market house.
The site was created from several forecourts to properties in the immediate vicinity and the school would be funded for centuries through the rent taken from ‘Christmas Farm’ on the hilltop. Built of local brick, the building has had few alterations, though an external staircase was later enclosed on the Couching Street side.
The Hall has several usual features including a gilded sundial and a clock that dates from shortly after the building was opened. The clock originated from the workshop of an Oxford clockmaker used by Sir Christopher Wren in that city’s classic development. It has faithfully tolled its single bell for more than three centuries though it does not draw in those working hard in the open fields beyond the town!
In Edwardian times the then chair of the Parish Council – Revd. Sidney Saunders – proposed the acquisition of the building at the centre of a very busy commercial area. Work was completed on a very substantial reconstruction during World War One, and the Town Hall could then serve as a vital facility for meetings, concerts, plays, fitness groups and celebrations.