Rolling North Oxfordshire

I'm always surprised how little known and how unappreciated this part of Oxfordshire is. The Hornton stone is so beautifully warm and golden, and the countyside is, well, rolling. I suppose this is what made it attractive to the people who set up their great estates at Broughton, Tew and Heythrop.
There's a fascinating film about the area around Hook Norton showing how little some aspects of rural life had changed, even up to the second world war. Those picturesque cottages that now change hands for a fortune for well heeled commuters must have been awfully uncomfortable. Most of them had no ceilings on the upper floor so the rooms went right up into the rafters. It would have been chilly in bed on a night like this!