We checked 17 shops in Banbury, Bicester and Deddington, from Abraxas Cookshop to Hook Norton Brewery's shop, for hours and what they sell. Updated November 2026.
Banbury, Bicester and the villages around them have 17 shops worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. Abraxas Cookshop in the Market Place, Michael Jones Jeweller on the High Street, the independent traders in Lock29 at Castle Quay and Bicester Village are the names most people land on.
The hours below are regular hours, not Christmas ones: none of these shops had published festive times when we checked, and small shops often change their hours close to Christmas, so check before a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November: Banbury Winter Market in the Market Place, Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm, with local crafters and street food. Our Christmas market page has the details.
Sunday 29 November: Banbury lights switch-on, 11am to 6pm in the Market Place, with fireworks at about 5pm. Our lights switch-on page has the timings. Bicester switches on the day before, Saturday 28 November, 2pm to 7pm in Sheep Street, and Kidlington on Thursday 26 November.
Saturday 28 November, Saturday 5 December and Tuesday 22 December: Father Christmas at Castle Quay, 11am to 4pm in the grotto opposite Calendar Club. Free, no booking, and each child takes home a small gift, the centre says. On Saturdays 12 and 19 December the same spot has free Victorian letter writing and storytelling, also 11am to 4pm.
Every Thursday and Saturday: Banbury’s charter market, 9am to 4pm, and every Friday in Sheep Street, Bicester.
Late night shopping. We found no town-wide late night date for Banbury or Bicester when we checked. Castle Quay’s published hours are 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday, and it notes that individual shops’ hours may vary.
Getting there. Our parking guide lists the Cherwell car parks and their current charges, and our Christmas trains and buses page has the holiday timetables.
Banbury town centre
1. Abraxas Cookshop, Market Place
Abraxas is a family-run cookshop with branches in Banbury, Northampton and at Heart of the Shires on the A5. Its Banbury shop is in a listed building of 1867 that the firm says it found “in a very run-down condition” in 2004 and restored before opening in June 2005.
It sells cookware, kitchen tools, knives, glass and barware, tableware and tea and coffee kit, with Emma Bridgewater pottery, Magimix, KitchenAid and Wüsthof among the brands, and it keeps a working coffee machine area where customers can try the equipment.
Open Tue to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; Sun and Mon closed
Call 01295 703030
Address 23 Cornhill, Market Place, Banbury, OX16 5NG
Website abraxascookshop.com
Good for cookware, Emma Bridgewater, kitchen gadgets, coffee kit, gift lists
2. Michael Jones Jeweller, High Street
Michael Jones Jeweller has showrooms in Northampton and on Banbury High Street, and describes itself as “an independent co-operative established in 1919”, with staff qualified in the Retail Jewellers’ Diploma. The Banbury showroom is an official Rolex retailer, and the firm also sells OMEGA, TUDOR, Longines, TAG Heuer and Bremont watches, diamond and gemstone jewellery, Clogau, Georg Jensen and Fabergé pieces, engagement and wedding rings.
Its page says the door may be locked, but shoppers are welcome to come in to buy, ask advice or browse.
Open Mon 9.30am to 5pm; Tue 10am to 5pm; Wed to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; Sun closed
Call 01295 263540
Address 78-80 High Street, Banbury, OX16 5JG
Website michaeljonesjeweller.co.uk/pages/banbury-high-street-showroom
Good for Rolex, Swiss watches, diamond jewellery, engagement rings
3. Henry’s of Banbury, High Street
Henry’s has sold menswear on Banbury High Street, a short walk from Banbury Cross, since 1953 and is still family-run. It stocks off-the-peg suits, jackets, trousers, knitwear, shirts and shoes “for both formal and casual wear, along with a large range of accessories”, and also hires out wedding and black tie outfits and makes suits to measure, with the customer choosing the fabric, lining and buttons.
Open Tue to Sat 9am to 4pm; Sun, Mon and bank holidays closed
Call 01295 251044
Address 52 High Street, Banbury, OX16 5JJ
Website henrysofbanbury.com
Good for menswear, knitwear, accessories, made to measure suits
4. Revival Mk2, Parsons Street
Revival Mk2 calls itself “a Terrace Casual, Retro and Iconic clothing store” on Parsons Street. It was founded by the late Nik Hale and is now family-run by Mark Allitt, who raises money for Addison’s disease awareness in Nik’s memory.
The shop gives 10% off to NHS staff, blue light services and the armed forces.
Open Mon 9.30am to 5pm; Tue closed; Wed to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 3pm
Call 07503 162632
Address 19b Parsons Street, Banbury, OX16 5LY
Website revivalbanbury.com
Good for casual menswear, retro clothing, Sunday opening
5. Church Lane Gallery, Church Lane
Church Lane Gallery is the home of the Banbury Artists’ Co-operative and is “managed and staffed exclusively by local artists who sell their work direct to the public”. It sells original artworks, prints and greeting cards “at really affordable prices”, with new work added regularly, and some of its artists take bespoke commissions.
About twenty artists are listed on its site.
Open Wed to Fri 10am to 3pm; Sat 10am to 4pm
Address 3 Victory Buildings, Church Lane, Banbury, OX16 5LT
Website churchlanegallery.co.uk
Good for local art, prints, greeting cards, commissions
6. Smart Ideas, Castle Quay
Smart Ideas is a family-run gift and card retailer founded in Droitwich in 1978, with six shops in the West Midlands and one in Banbury. It sells cards and gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, and its site lists Jellycat soft toys (it is an official stockist), Joma and Gracee jewellery, Yankee Candle and other candles, Thorntons toffee and gifts for men.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Call 01295 271392
Address 41 Castle Quay, Banbury, OX16 5UW
Website smartideasgifts.co.uk
Good for Jellycat, cards, jewellery, candles, Sunday opening
7. Nothing but Footprints, Castle Quay
Nothing but Footprints calls itself Oxfordshire’s largest dedicated refill shop, with more than 2,200 sustainably sourced products in store and online. It is a zero waste and plastic free shop, so shoppers can bring their own containers, and it also has a shop in Bicester.
It delivers free locally on Tuesdays or Thursdays and offers click and collect.
Open Mon to Wed and Fri to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Thu 9.30am to 7pm; Sun 11am to 4pm (Banbury BID directory; the shop says Banbury is open seven days)
Address 28c Castle Quay, Banbury, OX16 5UH
Website refillnotlandfill.co.uk
Good for plastic free gifts, refills, eco stocking fillers, Sunday opening
8. Banbury Museum and Gallery shop, Spiceball Park Road
The museum on the Oxford Canal, with its main entrance inside Castle Quay, says its shop stocks “local artists, crafts, and souvenirs”. Its online shop lists local history books such as A Walk Along the Ironstone, Banbury Cross gifts and greeting card packs.
Entry to the museum is free, and it also has Gwen’s Canalside Café.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm; Sun 11am to 3pm; closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day
Call 01295 236165
Address Spiceball Park Road, Banbury, OX16 2PQ
Website banburymuseum.org
Good for local history books, Banbury gifts, local crafts, free entry
Lock29, Castle Quay
Lock29 is the canalside food and independent shop hall at Castle Quay, opposite the Light cinema. Four of its traders sell gifts.
9. The Garden Studio
The Garden Studio is a small independent art gallery run by photographer Lee Atherton, showing work by local artists: sculpture, photographic prints, digital artwork and aluminium animal portraits. Lock29 lists limited edition art, stone coasters, trivets, greeting cards, calendars and bone china mugs, many featuring “animals that live within a few miles of the studio”.
Pet portrait commissions are taken.
Open Wed to Sun 10am to 5pm; Mon and Tue by appointment
Address Lock29, Castle Street, Banbury, OX16 5UN
Website leeathertonphotography.com/gallery
Good for local art, animal prints, coasters, pet portraits
10. Essence Home
Essence Home describes its range as “thoughtfully curated, vibrantly colourful” sustainable home decor: cushions, throws, hand-poured candles, homeware and some vintage and pre-loved pieces. Brands include HKLiving, Bloomingville and Addison Ross.
On 5 November its website was running 3 for 2 on Christmas decorations and listed gift bundles and hampers.
Open Wed to Fri 11am to 4pm; Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm; Mon and Tue closed
Address Lock29, Castle Street, Banbury, OX16 5UN
Website essencehome.co.uk
Good for homeware, Christmas decorations, candles, gifts under £15
11. Zilfarni Soaps and Scents
Zilfarni was founded by Denise Beecham and makes “homemade, ethical home fragrance and bath and body products”, all handmade and hand-poured. Its range covers candles, wax melts, soaps, bath products and skincare, and Lock29 says its pots and packaging are made from recycled materials and are fully recyclable.
Open Wed to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm; every other Tue 10am to 2pm; Mon closed
Address Lock29, Castle Street, Banbury, OX16 5UN
Website zilfarni-soaps-and-scents.sumupstore.com
Good for handmade soap, candles, wax melts, gift sets
12. World of Fudge and Sweets
The fudge comes from Jane Elizabeth Confectionery, which says it has made fudge and toffee by hand since 1989, including vegan and low sugar fudge. The Lock29 shop, run by Peter Barlow, also has nearly 200 jars of retro sweets, and the maker says it opens seven days a week.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Address Lock29, Castle Street, Banbury, OX16 5UN
Website worldoffudge.co.uk
Good for handmade fudge, vegan fudge, retro sweets, stocking fillers
Farm shops and villages
13. Wykham Park Farm Shop, Wykham Lane
Wykham Park, on the south-west edge of Banbury, raises its own Longhorn cattle and sheep and sells them on its butchery counter, alongside home-grown fruit and vegetables. Its cheese counter has “over 50 cheeses to choose from”, and there is a deli and larder.
The shop warns that its hours may change over Christmas.
Open Mon to Sat 8.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm (may change over Christmas)
Call 01295 262235
Address Wykham Park Farm, Wykham Lane, Banbury, OX16 9UP
Website wykhampark.co.uk
Good for butchery, cheese, local produce, Sunday opening
14. Eagles Fine Food, Deddington
Eagles is on Deddington Market Place, six miles south of Banbury. The family name entered the food trade with a Bloxham butchery opened by Frank Eagles in 1950.
It calls itself a food hall built so you can “make a complete meal in one basket”, stocking fine foods from some of the country’s best suppliers, and its staff will make up a custom hamper from the shelves. Parking is close by on Market Place, the Bull Ring and Victoria Terrace.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm; Sat 8.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Call 01869 338500
Address The Market Place, Deddington, OX15 0SE
Website eaglesfinefood.co.uk
Good for hampers, deli, local produce, Sunday opening
15. Hook Norton Brewery Shop, Hook Norton
The brewery shop sells its full range, from Hooky and Old Hooky to the seasonal Twelve Days, in bottles, cans, minipins and polypins, with “try before you buy”. It also stocks more than 150 wines, malt whiskies and other spirits, and Hooky merchandise from clothing to Old Hooky mustard.
The brewery’s Malthouse Kitchen and museum are on the same site, and tours can be booked.
Open Mon to Sat 8am to 6pm; Sun 9am to 4pm
Call 01608 730384
Address Brewery Lane, Hook Norton, OX15 5NY
Website hooky.co.uk/visit-us/brewery-shop
Good for local beer, wine and whisky, brewery gifts, Sunday opening
Bicester
16. Coles Books, Crown Walk
Coles is Bicester’s independent bookshop on Crown Walk, off Pioneer Square. Besides new books it runs a signed edition gallery of signed books and limited editions, and sells signed art prints, cards and stationery, calendars and diaries and gift wrap.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm
Call 01869 320779
Address 22 Crown Walk, Pioneer Square, Bicester, OX26 6HY
Website coles-books.co.uk
Good for books, signed editions, calendars, gift wrap
17. Bicester Village
Bicester Village is not independent, but it is the reason many people come to Bicester at Christmas: an outlet village of more than 150 boutiques, from Burberry, Barbour and Ralph Lauren to Bamford, Aesop and Bremont, which says it sells at up to 70% off. Its Christmas season began on 5 November, with lights and what it calls “falling snow”.
It is next to Bicester Village station, which has direct trains from London Marylebone and Oxford.
Open 9am to 9pm (Village hours as listed on 5 November)
Address 50 Pingle Drive, Bicester, OX26 6WD
Website thebicestercollection.com/bicester-village/en
Good for designer outlet, fashion, beauty, gift cards
How we chose
We started from the Banbury BID’s directory of town-centre shops, the traders listed by Lock29 and Castle Quay, and the village shops that come up when people search for Christmas shopping near Banbury, then kept the independents that publish their hours and say what they sell. Every entry was checked against the shop’s own website on 5 November 2026. Two Banbury shops, Calmer Heart and CC Reloved, are left out only because we could not read their hours on a site of their own, and the Deddington Antique Centre because we found no website for it; none of them is closed as far as we know. Nothing here is paid for.
Run a shop that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@banburyonline.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@banburyonline.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
More for Christmas in Banbury
- Banbury Christmas market
- Christmas lights switch-on
- Where to buy a Christmas tree
- Christmas dinner in Banbury
- Pantomimes and Christmas shows
- Ice rinks near Banbury
- Upton House at Christmas
- What’s on in Banbury this month
- Things to do in Banbury
- Banbury business directory
Frequently asked questions
Is there late night Christmas shopping in Banbury in 2026?
We found no town-wide late night shopping date for Banbury when we checked on 5 November 2026. The Winter Market runs in the Market Place on Saturday 28 November, 10am to 7pm, and Sunday 29 November, 10am to 6pm, when the lights are switched on with fireworks at about 5pm. Castle Quay’s published hours are 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday.
Which Banbury shops open on Sundays before Christmas?
In Castle Quay, Smart Ideas opens 10am to 4pm on Sundays, and in Lock29 the Garden Studio, Essence Home, Zilfarni Soaps and Scents and World of Fudge and Sweets all list Sunday hours. Revival Mk2 on Parsons Street opens 11am to 3pm, Banbury Museum’s shop 11am to 3pm, and Wykham Park Farm Shop 10am to 4pm. Abraxas, Henry’s, Michael Jones and Church Lane Gallery close on Sundays.
Where can I buy local food gifts and hampers near Banbury?
Eagles Fine Food in Deddington Market Place makes up custom hampers from its shelves; ask in the shop. Wykham Park Farm Shop on Wykham Lane has its own butchery counter and more than 50 cheeses. Hook Norton Brewery’s shop sells its beers, over 150 wines and Hooky gifts, and World of Fudge and Sweets in Lock29 sells handmade fudge and retro sweets.
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