The Killingworth Castle
A 1637 coaching inn two miles from Blenheim Palace, now one of the Cotswolds’ most decorated gastropubs and a firm personal favourite.
The Killingworth Castle sits in the small village of Wootton, a short drive from Woodstock and the gates of Blenheim Palace, in a building that has been serving travellers since 1637. Under the independent ownership of the Alexander family since 2012, it has grown into one of the most consistently praised gastropubs in Oxfordshire, holding three AA Rosettes, a Michelin recommendation and a place on Condé Nast Traveller’s list of the best Cotswolds restaurants for 2025 — while still keeping the log fires, low beams and genuine pub atmosphere of a seventeenth-century coaching inn.
A Coaching Inn Reborn
The building dates to 1637, and for much of its life served the same purpose it does today: feeding and housing travellers passing through this corner of Oxfordshire. Winston Churchill, whose family seat at Blenheim Palace lies two miles away, is said to have been among its regulars. Since taking it on in 2012, the Alexander family has restored and refurbished the building carefully, keeping its low beams, flagstone floors and open fires while rebuilding its reputation as a genuine dining destination rather than simply a village local.
Food and Rooms
The kitchen bakes its own bread, butchers its own meat and builds its menus around local and organic produce, turning out food that the Good Food Guide 2025/26 ranked the 17th best pub in the country. In autumn and winter, the pub’s log fires and dark timber make for the kind of long, unhurried lunch the Cotswolds does best; in spring and summer, a terrace full of flowers opens up for al fresco dining. Upstairs, eight bedrooms — each with its own character, comfortable beds and a well-chosen shelf of books — make it a genuine destination in its own right, not just a stop for lunch.
Planning Your Visit
The Killingworth Castle is at Glympton Road, Wootton, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1EJ — a short drive from Woodstock, Blenheim Palace, Bicester Village and Oxford, making it an easy addition to a day exploring the north Cotswolds.
Where to Stay Nearby
Wootton’s position close to Woodstock and Blenheim puts it within easy reach of several of our north Cotswolds properties. For a fuller sense of what is available nearby, our full portfolio of Cotswold properties can be filtered by location.
However you choose to base yourselves, our concierge team can arrange a table at The Killingworth Castle, or build a wider day out around Woodstock and Blenheim Palace.
In Short
The Killingworth Castle earns its accolades the old-fashioned way — through consistently good food, a genuinely historic building, and rooms worth staying in — rather than through novelty. It suits a long lunch on the way to or from Blenheim Palace as easily as a special-occasion dinner.
