This pretty village of Cotswold stone and thatched roofs is romantically positioned on the River Windrush. Reputedly the region’s most haunted village, Minster Lovell is perhaps best known the ruins of its 15th century hall, owned by generations of the Lovell family and now an impressive ancient monument.
We are told that in 1708 workmen found a secret chamber containing two skeletons: one of a man seated at a table, at his feet that of a dog. Legend tells us that the man was Francis Lovell, who had hidden in the secret chamber after defeat at the battle of Stoke Field in 1487. His presence was known only to one trusty servant, whose sudden death left Sir Francis (and his faithful hound) to their grisly fate.
There is a downloadable walk that passes through the village:
Windrush Circular Walk2 (pdf 673k)
There is also the Windrush Valley Cycle Route (pdf 1.64Mb), a waymarked 17 mile route between Witney and Northleach that passes through Asthall.
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