Carterton, Oxfordshire
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  Map sources for Carterton at grid reference SP2806
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Carterton is a town in Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. It is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) west of Witney, on the B4020 and B4477 roads. It is close to the A40 road.
Carterton is one of the newest towns in Oxfordshire. Despite this, Carterton is the second largest settlement in the West Oxfordshire District. Its population is approximately 20,000.
Until the early 19th century, the Carterton area was farmland. It belonged to the parish of Black Bourton. The land was then sold to William Carter, the director of a building company.
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[edit] History
Carterton grew rapidly during World War II, due to its proximity to the RAF Brize Norton military airbase. The Royal Air Force is still one of the main employers on the area. The link to the airbase also means that the population of Carterton is constantly fluctuating. There is also a significant proportion of retired RAF personnel living in the town.
The Witney and East Gloucestershire branch line railway from Yarnton to Fairford passed to the south of Carterton and RAF Brize Norton.[[1]] The line was part of the Great Western Railway, which in 1944 opened a station for Carterton on the line. In 1962 British Railways closed the Witney - Fairford section of the line, including Carterton station.
Carterton continues to grow. A new north eastern district of the town has been built, providing a mix of housing for private ownership and social letting. A new primary school has been built on the development and work has begun to build a local shopping centre.
[edit] Education
Education in Carterton is provided by Carterton Primary School [2], Gateway Primary School, Edith Moorhouse Primary School, St. Joseph's Primary School, St John the Evangelist CE Primary School, and Carterton Community College (the town's secondary school) [3]. There is also a library located in the town centre.
[edit] Hospitality
There are two pubs within the town, the Beehive(late licence) and the Aviator. A third pub, The Osprey has recently closed. The building is of listed status and is awaiting complete renovation and reconstruction in order for the pub to re open in the future. Rumour has it that a national chain of pub/restaurant is about to open in the town.
[edit] Retail
There are many shops and parking within the town centre. 2 supermarkets serve the town and both are located within the centre. There are plans afoot to improve and expand the retail space within the centre and to create more car parking. A new development, West Oxfordshire Retail Park is being built within the town as is a new business park, which will offer many more employment opportunities away from the RAF base. The Countryside Agency has awarded Carterton Beacon Status for the work that the Fast forward team is undertaking on the regeneration of the town centre.
[edit] Housing
Carterton consists of primarily military terraced housing and multi-storey flats. There is a selection of privatley owned housing other than that built on the new Shilton Park Estate.
