Edgehill
Sitting 700 feet above the Warwickshire plain, Edgehill offers a unique blend of Georgian architectural ambition and the somber echoes of the English Civil War.
A Hamlet of High Vantage
Edgehill is a small, quiet settlement that clings to the crest of the steep ironstone ridge from which it takes its name. While many visitors pass through on their way to the battlefield below, the village itself holds a distinct character. Most of the structures are built from the warm, honey-coloured Hornton stone quarried locally, a material that has defined the aesthetic of the Banburyshire borders for centuries.
The village serves as the primary "high point" for the region, offering views that, on a clear day, stretch across the Vale of the Red Horse as far as the Malvern Hills and the mountains of Wales.
The Castle Inn (Radway Tower)
The defining landmark of Edgehill is the Castle Inn, originally known as the Radway Tower. This Grade II* listed folly was the masterpiece of Sanderson Miller, a local gentleman architect and pioneer of the Gothic Revival.
- The Purpose: Built in the 1740s, it was never a defensive castle. It was an ornamental "sham castle" designed to provide a spectacular focal point for Miller’s Radway Grange estate.
- The Legend: Miller deliberately sited the tower on the spot where King Charles I is said to have raised the Royal Standard at the start of the battle in 1642.
- The Experience: Today, the tower houses a popular pub and hotel. The garden at the rear provides one of the few managed viewpoints where you can look directly down onto the primary battle site through the treeline.
Walking the Ridge and "Jacob’s Ladder"
Edgehill is a hub for hikers, serving as a crossing point for several major trails including the Macmillan Way and the Centenary Way.
For those looking to transition from the village to the valley floor, the most famous route is Jacob’s Ladder. This is a steep, stone staircase that cuts directly through the wooded scarp of Castle Wood. It provides a dramatic (and physically demanding) link between the high village and the village of Radway at the base of the hill.
The Waterloo Obelisk
A short walk south from the main village cluster leads to a lesser-known monument: the Fiennes Miller Obelisk. Erected in 1854, this stone pillar commemorates the gallantry of Colonel Fiennes Miller at the Battle of Waterloo. It stands as a reminder that while Edgehill is synonymous with the 17th century, its landscape continued to be a place of memorial for British military history well into the Victorian era.
Places to visit
Walks
