One of the most dramatic changes to have affected East Hendred in the 20th Century is in the type of businesses within the village and in the nature of employment of its residents. At the start of the century (and in the romantic imaginations of many still), most villagers worked on the land or in businesses serving the community directly. Now very few are needed for agricultural production and most commute beyond the parish boundary.

In 2000, most villagers work outside the village, in towns like Wantage, Didcot or Abingdon, in businesses on the Milton Park trading estate, at Harwell or Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, or further afield in Oxford, Reading or London.

In spite of this there are over 20 businesses thriving in East Hendred, ranging from the farms managing the parish lands, the shop and pubs serving the community, to small businesses that trade almost entirely outside the village and whose existence is often not known to many inhabitants. Most have contributed to this section of the Millennium Record.

There are also many freelance professionals and self employed individuals working from home in the village. It has not been possible to include all of them here, though some appear in the family record. There are also many owners and proprietors resident in the village, but whose businesses are based elsewhere. These too are excluded from this section of the record.

Hendred has proved a fertile seedbed for new businesses, and in 2000 alone several outgrew the village and moved on to bigger premises:

• Country Love Ceramics, a business providing ceramic making facilities to hobbyists moved from Bowling Over, Horn Lane to Milton Park.
• Tudor Joinery, designers and makers of bespoke kitchens and bedrooms, left Hendred Estate Yard also for Milton.
• Bramley House Nursery was founded by Sue and John Watson as a day nursery adjoining their home in Featherbed Lane in the early 1990’s. Now, Bramleys is a chain of nurseries across the South of England. The Featherbed Lane nursery was closed in 1996 and in 2000 the offices also moved outside the village. The nearest Bramleys Nursery is now in Ardington.
• Aasvogel Recycling was started by builder David McDowell at Skeats Bush. The business offers skip-based waste removal with a difference - most of the waste collected is sorted and recycled rather than being dumped in landfills. The business moved to a new centre in Grove in 2000.

The Hendred Estate is playing an important role, converting redundant buildings for business use. Charlton Communications, one of the village’s larger employers is based in converted barns in the Estate Yard, and in 2000, ADAS Consulting moved into the old Catholic School. Further developments of this sort are also planned.

Hopefully, the 21st Century will see more businesses attracted to East Hendred and more successes. Perhaps fewer villagers will have to join the queues on the A417 to get to work in their cars. One thing seems certain: the types of business will continue to change as society changes. East Hendred will move with the times as it has throughout its history.