Kidlington is a sizeable village and civil parish in between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal. It is around 5 miles (8 kilometres) north of Oxford and 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) southwest of Bicester. The settlement detailed in the Domesday Book of 1086 expanded from an ancient village nearby to the church. Prior to the Enclosure acts of 1818, a sizeable section south of the village was unenclosed common land, and the village was broadly referred to as Kidlington-on-the-Green. According to the 2011 Census, the village has a permanent resident population of 13723. This makes it a serious contender for the largest village in England. Kidlington locals have actually regularly withstood proposals to become a town, although it gets approved for such status against any criteria. Following a peremptory change by the Parish Council to Town status, the change was voted down in a ballot of the local electorate by 98 percent, and ultimately reversed. There are various opportunities to participate in social, cultural and leisure activities in the town. Kidlington is home to around 50 shops, both independent and commercial chain stores, banks and building societies, a public library, a substantial village hall and a weekly market. In addition to this, there are 7 public houses, 2 cafes, and 4 restaurants. The public houses are concentrated along the dual carriageway that runs through the village, that include the Highwayman Hotel, the Black Horse, the Black Bull, the Red Lion, in addition to the King's Arms in the Moors, and the Six Bells in Mill Street. The Squire Bassett was converted into a Nepalese eatery and relabelled the Gurkha Village in 2012. For all your home upgrades, make certain to make use of reputable contractors in Kidlington to make certain of quality.