Stanford in the Vale is a very rare large village having farmhouses and their associated farmyards commingled with high and low status houses all arranged in a serpentine high street. If you walk through the old village you will find over a dozen such farmhouses many of which have had their farm buildings turned into barn conversions. Cromwell House formerly Penstones was still a working farm until recently when the land was used to build the retirement complex.
Village legend has it that Cromwell had his quarters in the house but there is no actual evidence to support this and the house which was built in the 17th century has been extensively changed since then. However, it is true that there were many civil war skirmishes in the area including an attack on Faringdon and there are 6 graves of Royalist soldiers in the churchyard .