A flight of four lynchets survive south of the village: a rare survival in Northamptonshire.[6] In 1758 the open field system of farming around Woodford Halse was ended by enclosure.[7] The ridge and furrow pattern of the common fields is visible in parts of the parish, and especially just south of the village. Allotments northeast of the village are laid out along the ridges and furrows, and follow their uneven widths and reverse S-curve.[6]
On 15 March 1899 the Great Central Railway (GCR) opened its main line from Nottingham Victoria to London Marylebone through the parish, using the valley of the River Cherwell to pass between Woodford Halse and Hinton. The GCR established a new station called Woodford & Hinton,[8] a four-way railway junction, a major locomotive depot and extensive marshalling yards. A plan to build carriage sheds here was not implemented, but between the old village and the new railway several rows of terraced houses for railway workers were built, together with a street of shops.
The Railway Hotel was built in 1900.[9] By 1973 it had become Woodford Halse Social Club.[9]
The parish's population eventually[when?] peaked at just under 2,000, at which time the village had its own cinema.[when?] The GCR main line was at times[when?] a busy route and the depot and yards at Woodford Halse were very active.
British Railways renamed the station Woodford Halse on 1 November 1948.[8] Following the 1963 The Reshaping of British Railways report, BR closed the station, the main line and the Banbury branch of the former GCR on 5 September 1966.[8] All tracks and most railway buildings were dismantled. The population fell sharply as former railway workers left the parish, but new developments in later decades have since increased it. Where the GCR's line, depot and yards were sited is now a tree plantation which was acquired by the Parish Council in 2016 as a public amenity space and a small modern industrial estate, but evidence of the railway is still visible.
Currently, public transport serving Woodford Halse consists of an hourly bus between Banbury and Daventry, operated by Stagecoach Oxfordshire.
Amenities
Woodford Halse fire station
Woodford Halse Church of England Primary School serves the parish.[10] The school has one of the largest playing fields of any Northamptonshire school and holds an annual cross-country race, attracting over 700 competitors from more than thirty schools. The village has several shops and businesses. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has a fire station at Woodford Halse, staffed by retained firefighters. The village's regular social events include the Annual Christmas Street Fair and Summer Boat Races.
Media
Television signals in the village are received from the local relay transmitter which is transmitted via the Sutton Coldfield transmitter.[11] However, signals can also be received from the Sandy Heath and Oxford transmitters.
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