Wisteria Holiday Cottage provides comfortable accommodation for up to 3 people to retreat to and relax in a cosy romantic setting. Enjoy the mini log burner, gas central heating and the sunny enclosed garden with BBQ. Charge up your EV at a small extra cost using our untethered rapid 32 amps, 7.2 kw charging point. A 3m or longer cable is required.

Perfect for singles, couples, 2 friends or a small family.
Ideal for romantic, executive or holiday self-catering short-term rentals, Wisteria Cottage offers a real ‘home away from home’ experience.

Walk into Watlington, England’s smallest town or onto The Ridgeway National Trail and explore locations seen in Midsomer Murders.

About Watlngton

Watlington is reputed to be the smallest town in England and has a very long history. The Icknield Way, also known as The Ridgeway National Trail, is a pre-Roman track that was one of the principal roads of England, passing within 500m of the present-day town and it undoubtedly led to the development of the settlement. A bronze axe and Roman gold coins have been found and it it is known that a Roman road followed what is now Couching Street. It is thought that troops of soldiers would have marched along it, possibly towards Verulamium, now called St Albans, 30 miles away. Certainly, an Anglo-Saxon settlement existed by the 6th century and it is probable that the original site was closer to the location of St Leonard’s Church where the original Manor House was located. The first Anglo Saxon villages were named after their chieftain and contained the letters ‘ing’ meaning of the people of and others contain ‘ton’ which means an enclosed village or manor. So the word Watlington derives from an enclosed village or manor of the people of Waecal.

Wisteria Cottage was probably built around the mid-19th century as it features on the map surveyed in 1876. At this time it was on the edge of town with fields to the South and West. The footpath linking Britwell Road and Cuxham Road and the Marlbrook are clearly significant local features as well as many springs and wells. Water was clearly plentiful!

A perfectly formed retreat

After helpful communications from owner, Jane, arriving late on an extremely cold Friday night we easily found the cottage set back from the road, and were delighted to find it warm and welcoming with the wood burner ready and waiting to be lit. Fire roaring and wine poured, we quickly settled into to the small, perfectly diminutive, ‘two-up, two-down’. It’s clearly been lovingly renovated to a high standard but keeps its period features; ‘wonky’ floors and doorways my partner had to duck through –  much to the hilarity of our daughter. The kitchen had everything we could possibly have needed including coffee maker, microwave and dishwasher whilst the bathroom is surprisingly modern with a great tub for lazy soaking.

Out and about in Watlington Village

After an evening by the fire and a great night’s sleep (very comfy bed and oh so quiet outside), and feeling like we’d put in a good initial stint of ‘hunkering down’ we ventured out on the most beautiful, glistening morning to discover what Watlington village had to offer. First off, I’m told its actually England’s smallest town, and it turns out pulls this accolade off rather well. After a wander through the lanes of lovely old houses we found the high street and – happy days – the local deli which naturally required a visit for coffees, hot chocolate and cake – all of which were delicious. Food, as well as ‘hunkering’, being a theme of the weekend, we had to go into the impressive butchers (complete with a dry age display fridge!) followed by the little fresh food market at the town hall to stock up on provisions.