Why are tourists flocking to this English village?

Busloads of tourists are arriving in Kidlington, but no one really knows why. Photo / Google

Camera-wielding tourists have been flocking to a rural English village for selfies - to the bemusement of locals.

Residents in Kidlington are flummoxed as to why the village, about 8km north of Oxford, has suddenly become such a tourist hotspot.

One resident posted pictures of the tourists in her front garden on Facebook. Photo / Janis Harwood, Facebook

Images posted to social media show groups of tourists posing in roads and by garden hedges while others, armed with umbrellas, braved the rain to get their coveted snaps.

The tourists braved the rain and carried umbrellas. Photo / Janis Harwood, Facebook

Samantha Anderson, posting on a local Facebook group, said: "Saw them the other week, they were even in the gardens and at people's front doors."

Another user said the Oxfordshire village, particularly Benmead Road and the Moors, had been receiving the unexpected visitors for around three weeks.

Rumours of Harry Potter and Inspector Morse being filmed on location and links to Sir Richard Branson have been floated as possible reasons for Kidlington's sudden surge in popularity.

Some have suggested the destination is a convenient stop-off for those heading to Bicester Village, a nearby designer shopping outlet, while others believe the area is popular because it is a "normal village".

Coachloads of tourists flock to Kidlington to pose for selfies leaving locals bemused https://t.co/haLJ6qX5PG #Oxon pic.twitter.com/PGzbvgrFjr

— OXFORDSHIRE (@DailyOXFORD) July 5, 2016

One of the more adventurous theories is that the tourists are time-travellers, wishing to glimpse a thriving English village before it meets its demise when the UK leaves the European Union.

I'm here in #Kidlington where journalists have gathered to try to speak to Chinese tourists visiting the village pic.twitter.com/AhqGBLtRSv

— Kieran Davey (@OxMailKieranD) July 7, 2016

Another poster ventured: "Boring but sensible theory - The phenomenon is part of a combined tourism trip involving retail at Bicester (well known as a Chinese destination), the historic University at Oxford (ditto) and you guys are a 'folksy' cultural stop on the A34 between the two ... Enjoy."

- AAP