The Cotswolds - Things to See


St. Michael and the Dragon

Index


The picture (right) shows a memorial to the 1914-18 war on a crossroads near Stanway


Tourist Information Most Cotswold towns have Tourist Information Centres . These carry a wide range of information about local attractions.

Abbeys and Churches

Almost every church in the Cotswolds is worth going in to. Most are very old, many are very beautiful. This list contains only a few out of dozens.

Hailes Abbey - see under Museums.

St. James'
Chipping Campden
Perpendicular architecture with elaborate tower. See Chipping Campden

St. John's
Cirencester
Cathedral-sized church with magnificant porch. See Cirencester.

Elkstone Church
6 miles S of Cheltenham
12th. C Norman Church
Interesting Norman tympanum, chancel arch and dovecote.

Fairford Church
15th.C Perpendicular style, famous for its complete set of original pre-Reformation stained glass windows.

Malmesbury Abbey
The nave of a huge and important abbey church dating back to Saxon times. See Malmesbury.

St. Peter & St. Paul's
Northleach
One of the finest Cotswold churches, famous for its collection of wool-merchants' brasses. See Northleach

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Country Parks

Crickley Hill Country Park
6 miles E of Gloucester
Tel. 01452 863170
Grassland, woodland and parkland on Cotswold scarp. Archeological interest and visitor centre.

Cotswold Water Park,
Ashton Keynes (nr. Cirencester) and Fairford/Lechlade
A wide range of water sports, plus picnic areas, fishing and nature reserves. See also Keynes Country Park and Neigh Bridge Country Park.

Keynes Country Park
4 miles S of Cirencester
Tel. 01285 861459
Lakeside activities, playground and nature reserve.

Neigh Bridge Country Park
1 mile SW Somerford Keynes
Tel. 01285 861459
Picnic site, playground, angling and angling for the disabled.

Robinswood Hill Country Park
2 miles S of Gloucerter
Tel. 01452 413029
Nature, geology and horse trails. Gloucertershire Wildlife Trust centre.

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Crafts

Brewery Arts
Brewery Court, Cricklade St, Cirencester
Tel. 01285 657181
Converted Victorian brewery housing craft workshops.

Beckford Silk
Beckford, nr. Tewkesbury
Tel. 01386 881507
Rural workshop specialising in printed silk garments.

Cotswold Woollen Weavers
Filkins, nr. Lechlade
Tel. 01367 860491
Working woolen mill, shop, exhibition and picnic area

Craftsmans Market
Cornhill, Cirencester
Tel. 01452 424605
Quality handmade goods can be commissioned direct from the craftsmen.

Crickley Windward Vineyard
Little Witcombe (4 miles SE of Gloucester)
Tel. 01452 863555
Vineyards at foot of Cotswolds, wine available for purchase.

Prinknash Abbey Pottery
2 miles NE of Painswick
Tel. 01452 812239
Benedictine Abbey with pottery worked by local craftsmen. Adjoined by Bird Park.

Winchcombe Pottery
Becketts Lane (1 mile N of Winchcombe)
Tel. 01242 602462
Domestic pottery, old bottle kiln and craft workshops.

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Gardens and Arboretia

Barnsley House Garden,
Barnsley (3 miles SW of Bibury on A433)
Tel. 01285 740281

Batsford Park Arboretum,
1.5 miles NW of Moreton-in-Marsh
Tel. 01608 850722
Fifty acre collection of rare trees

Hidcote Manor Gardens,
3 miles NW of Chipping Campden
Tel. 01386 438333
World famous gardens and topiary

Kiftsgate Court Garden,
Chipping Campden
Tel. 01386 438777
Individualistic series of interconnecting gardens

Painswick Rococo Garden,
Painswick,
Tel. 01452 813204
Unusual 18th.C Rococo garden

Sezincote,
2 miles W of Moreton-in-Marsh
Regency manor gardens

Westbury Court Garden,
Westbury-on-Severn
Tel. 01452 760461
17th.C formal Dutch water garden

Westonbirt Arboretum,
3 miles SW of Tetbury
Tel. 01666 880220
Wonderful 600 acre collection of temperate trees and shrubs beautifully maintained by the Forestry Commision

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Historical Interest

Ashleworth Tithe Barn,
6 miles N of Gloucester
Tel. 01684 850051
Very large 15th.C tithe barn

Chedworth Roman Villa,
1 mile NE of Chedworth village
Tel. 01242 890256
Remains of extensive Romano-British villa plus visitor complex

Great Witcombe Roman Villa
5 miles SE of Gloucester
Tel. 01272 750700
Villa foundations plus mosaics in a tranquil location of great natural beauty

Hetty Pegler's Tump (Uley Tumulus)
0.5 mile west of Nympsfield
Chambered long barrow dated 2800 BC.

Hailes Abbey

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Manors and Castles

Berkeley Castle,
Berkeley
Tel. 01453 810332
Home of the Berkeleys for 800 years, and one of the few genuine castles that Oliver Cromwell didn't demolish.

Blenheim Palace,
Woodstock (8 miles N of Oxford)
01993 811325
Vast and imposing palace and gardens built by the nation for the 1st. Duke of Marlborough

Kelmscott Manor,
Kelmscott, nr. Lechlade
Tel. 01367 252486
Country home of William Morris. Restricted opening, so call or check tourist information.

Newark Park,
Ozleworth, Wotton under Edge
Tel. 01453 842644
Elizabethan hunting lodge converted into a country house in 1790. Restricted opening, so contact.

Owlpen Manor,
Uley
Tel. 01453 860261
Romantic manor house in idyllic location. Restricted opening, so call or check tourist information.

Snowshill Manor,
Broadway WR12 7JU
Tel. 01386 852410
Renowned for Charles Wade's extraordinary and eclectic collection from all over the world

Stanway House,
2 miles N of Winchecombe
Tel. 01386 73469
16th.C Cotswold manor house

Sudeley Castle,
Winchcombe
Tel. 01242 602308
Tudor castle and gardens

Warwick Castle,
Warwick
Tel. 01926 408000
Spectacular and well-preserved medieval castle at the heart of English history. Outside the Cotswold area, but not by much. Don't miss it - you'll kick yourself if you do.

Woodchester Mansion,
Nympsfield (nr. Stroud - see also Coaley Peak)
Tel. 01453 860661
Ambitious but incomplete Victorian manor house in a hidden valley. Open 1st. weekend of each month.

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Museums

Advertising and Packaging,
Albert Warehouse, Gloucester Docks
Tel. 01452 302309
The Robert Opie collection. You won't believe how nostalgic this is - takes you back to your Granny's kitchen.

Arlington Mill Museum,
Bibury
Tel. 01285 740368
Working water mill and countryside museum

Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum,
Clarence St.
Tel. 01242 237431
Internationally renowned collection of Arts & Crafts furniture and silver, plus social history of Regency Cheltenham

Cogges Manor Farm Museum,
Church Lane, Witney OX86LA
Tel. 01993 772602
Rare breeds, farm implements, machinery and buildings

Corinium Museum,
Park St., Cirencester
Tel. 01242 890256
High-quality exhibition of Roman life and antiquities, including superb mosaics from the Cotswold area. Don't miss this.

Cotswold Countryside Collection,
Fosse Way,
Northleach,
Tel. 01451 860715
Agricultural history and rural life in the Cotswolds

Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery,
Brunswick Road, Gloucester
Tel. 01452 524131
Dinosaur bones, antiquities, antiques, paintings, you name it ...

Gloucester Folk Museum,
99-103 Westgate St.
Tel. 01452 526467
Museum of local history, folk lore, crafts and industry housed in timber-framed Tudor building

Gloucester Prison Museum,
Barrack Square
Tel. 01452 529551
18th.C prison life in original building

Gloucester Transport Museum,
Bearland
Tel. 01452 526467
19th.C vehicles

Gloucester Aviation Collection,
Unit 2B, Gloucester Trading Estate, Brockworth, Gloucester
Tel. 01452 330761
Historic Gloster aircraft factory

Gloucestershire/Warwickshire Railway,
Toddington (nr. Winchcombe)
Tel. 01242 621405
Restored Great Western Railway station plus steam train trips

Hailes Abbey,
nr. Winchcombe off B4632
Tel. 01242 602398
Museum and remains of 13th.C Cistercian abbey

Holst Birthplace Museum and Period House,
4 Clarence Road, Cheltenham
Tel. 01242 524846
Regency terrace house and birthplace of Holst

Jenner Museum,
Berkeley
Tel. 01453 810631
Life and work of Dr. Edward Jenner, father of immunology

John Moore Museum,
Church St.,
Tewkesbury
Tel. 01684 297174
Countryside collection

Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music,
High Street, Northleach
Tel. 01451 860181
Immaculate collection of mechanical music machines

Little Museum,
45 Church Street, Tewkesbury
Tel. 01684 297174
Medieval life in original house

National Waterways Museum,
Llanthony Warehouse, Gloucester Docks
Tel. 01452 318054
200 years of inland waterway history

Nature in Art,
Wallsworth Hall,
Twigworth (2 miles north of Gloucester)
Tel. 01452 731422
Art inspired by nature

Northleach House of Correction,
Northleach
Tel. 01451 860715
Original 18th.C buildings and exhibitions on law and punishment of the time

Pittville Pump Room Museum,
Pittville Park, Cheltenham
Tel. 01242 523852
Enter into the social history of Cheltenham in the magnificant Pump Room

Regiments of Gloucestershire Museum,
Custom House, Gloucester Docks
Tel. 01452 522682
Award-winning exhibition of county's regiments at war

Tetbury Police Museum,
63 Long St., Tetbury
Tel. 01666 503552
Various artifacts of the Gloucestershire Constabulary house in original cells

Tewkesbury Town Museum,
64 Barton Street, Tewkesbury
Tel. 01684 295027
Social history of Tewkesbury and surrounding area

The Old Mill,
Mill Lane, Lower Slaughter
Tel. 01451 820052
Mill museum and crafts

Wellington Aviation Art,
British School House
Tel. 01608 650323
WW2 aircraft history

Winchcombe Folk and Police Museum,
Winchcombe
Tel. 01242 602925
Local history and police collection

Woolstapler's Hall Museum,
High Street, Chipping Campden
Tel. 01789 840332
You name it, they've got one. Early manufactures of every kind.

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Viewpoints and Picnic Sites

Cleeve Common,
3 miles NE of Cheltenham
Large area of grassland on Cotswold Escarpment with panoramic views

Coaley Peak Picnic Site,
4 miles SW of Stroud nr. Nympsfield
Panoramic views of Severn Vale, hangliding haunt, also near Hetty Pegler's Tump

Dover's Hill,
1 mile NW of Chipping Campden
Natural amphitheatre on Cotswold spur with fine views

Haresfield Beacon,
3 miles NW of Stroud
National Trust site, spectacular views of Sever Vale, Romano-British hillfort

Leckhampton Hill
2 miles S of Cheltenham
Limestone grassland, views, quarries, fossils, Devil's Chimney, Iron Age hillfort

Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons,
2 miles S of Stroud
Open grasslands and woods, downland wildlife

Painswick Beacon,
1 mile N of Painswick
Open upland, fine walks and views

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Wildlife and Farmlife

Bibury Trout Farm,
Bibury
Tel. 01285 740215
A working trout farm

Butts Farm,
nr. South Cerney, Cirencester
Tel. 01285 862205
Rare farm breeds plus Welsh mountain ponies

Cattle Country,
Berkeley Heath Farm, Berkeley
Tel. 01453 810220
Britain's biggest collection of cattle breeds, bison, exotic species

Cotswold Farm Park,
2 miles NE of Guiting Power
Tel. 01451 850307
Large collection of rare breeds

Countryside Centre,
3 miles north of Stonehouse nr. Stroud on B4008
Tel. 01452 728338
Conservation-orineted animal park

Folly Farm Waterfowl,
3 miles west of Bourton-on-the-Water on A436
Tel. 01451 820285
Rare breeds of poultry and domestic waterfowl

Prinknash Bird Park,
nr. Cranham, Glos.
Tel. 01452 812727
Uncaged birds and animals in beautiful parkland setting

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust,
Slimbridge (7miles west of Stroud)
Tel. 01453 890065
World's largest collection of wildfowl

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