Watchfield

Infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 51.612
longitude = -1.641
official_name = Watchfield
civil_parish = Watchfield
population =
shire_district = Vale of White Horse
shire_county = Oxfordshire
region = South East England
ambulance_service =
constituency_westminster = Wantage
post_town = Swindon
postcode_district = SN6
postcode_area = SN
dial_code = 01793
os_grid_reference = SU248904
static_

static_image_caption = Westmill Wind Farm

Watchfield is a village and civil parish, near Shrivenham and the A420, in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire).

Character and amenities

Watchfield consists mainly of military accommodation for the Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) and the Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC) in the parish, as well as for the Defence College of Management and Technology and Cranfield University across the boundary in Shrivenham.

Local amenities include the Eagle public house, located in the heart of the old village. Watchfield Post Office is located on the High Street. A purpose built mini-industrial estate near the A420 road houses the College Farm public house, a Midcounties Co-operative supermarket, a unisex hairdressers, opticians and a McDonald's.

A community-owned wind farm, Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative, opened in May 2008 on the site of the former RAF Watchfield near the village. [Energy4All Press Release, December 5, 2005, " [http://www.energy4all.co.uk/energy_newsdetails.asp?newsID=31 Westmill Wind Farm Celebrates Success of Public Share Launch] ". Retrieved on November 14, 2006. waybackdate|site=http://www.energy4all.co.uk/latestnews.php?nid=36|date=20060104163640] [Energy4All Press Release, February 1, 2008. " [http://www.energy4all.co.uk/energy_newsdetails.asp?newsID=60 Fresh Wind Farm.] " Retrieved on March 8, 2008.] It consists of five 1.3 MW turbines, and is described by its promoters as the UK's largest community-owned wind farm.

Geography

As with nearby Shrivenham, a common element of confusion is that Watchfield has the Swindon postal code and Swindon telephone area code, despite being located in a different county: Oxfordshire rather than Wiltshire.

References

External links

* [http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/portal/publicsite/doitonline/finditonline/councillorscommittees?page=aboutyourcouncil.parish.detail&layer=628 Watchfield Parish Council]
* [http://www.westmill.coop/ Westmill Wind Farm]