Chilterns, Oxfordshire, Cotswolds
Blenheim Palace viewed from the Italian Garden
© Eurasia Press/Photononstop
Within easy day-tripping distance of the capital, the Cotswolds are a magnet for visitors who only have a short time to discover idyllic English villages and rural scenery. They are a must-see, but at peak times of the year can become almost unbearably busy. Oxford also justifies its reputation as one of Britain’s top attractions and although better equipped to handle the crowds, is still much more comfortable out of season. The Chiltern Hills, like the Cotswolds, are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: situated close to London, they have much less appeal in terms of visitor attractions or quaintness; however, for walkers and seekers of solitude, they may be a better bet.
Highlights
1 Stroll among some of Europe’s finest landscaping at Stowe Gardens (p255)
2 Be awestruck at Christ Church College, Oxford (p264)
3 See where Churchill lived like a king at Blenheim Palace (p265)
4 Find the medieval Cotswolds at Chipping Campden (p272)
5 Feel like Alice in Wonderland at Hidcote Garden (p272)
Providing a breath of fresh air, pastoral scenery and good walking territory within easy commuting distance of London, the Chilterns are a very desirable part of southeast England. There are few set piece visitor attractions or even obvious places to stay for more than a night or two so you’ll probably want to keep moving between their small towns and villages.
Oxford
The glittering spires of Oxford are deservedly world famous. Easily covered on foot, the town is, as you would expect from an internationally renowned University, young, lively and cosmopolitan. However the university is also the oldest in Britain and imparts a very British sense of history and tradition, matched elsewhere in the UK only by Cambridge. The peaceful tiny college “quads” (quadrangles/squares) and cloisters have a real sense of history and old-world atmosphere, but a walk around the old alleyways of the city centre, particularly by night, admiring the city’s stunning architecture at almost every turn, is to take a step back several centuries in time. Just outside Oxford, Blenheim Palace is one of England’s greatest treasures.
Cotswolds
If you want to find the England you’ve seen on old-fashioned jigsaws, chocolate boxes and picture calendars, then you won’t be disappointed by the Cotswolds. Wool brought it untold riches in medieval times, as celebrated by the number of “wool churches” erected in gratitude by wealthy merchants, but the Industrial Revolution simply passed it by. This meant that the glorious golden-stone Cotswold villages were preserved until they were popularised for the birth of modern tourism in the 1920s and 30s. Some places may have sold their souls to tourism and wealthy out-of-towners, but it’s done in the best possible rural taste with cream teas on manicured lawns beside thatched cottages in summer, and roaring log fires and foaming pints of real ale in winter. Fast-food chains and shopping malls are still a century away.
There are some very atmospheric period houses (Chastleton and Snowshill Manor) and wonderful gardens here too, notably the Alice-in-Wonderland-like Hidcote.
Gloucester
The glory of Gloucester is undoubtedly its cathedral. Its docks make an interesting diversion while in autumn, Westonbirt Arboretum is a splash of New England colour in the heart of old England. Spend the night out of town, at posh Regency neighbour, Cheltenham.
Chiltern Hillsa
The chalk downs known as the Chiltern Hills run some 60mi/97km on a southwest to northeast axis bordered by the River Thames and Luton respectively. They rise gently to their highest point at Coombe Hill (852ft/260m), topped by a gibbet. Two of Britain’s ancient roads, the Icknield Way and the Ridgeway, follow the line of the hills.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas pp 18, 19 and 28 or Map 503 Q R 27 and 28.
i Info: Kings Head, Market Square, Aylesbury. t01296 330 559. The Old Gaol, Market Hill, Buckingham. t01280 823 020. www.visitbuckinghamshire.org.
Ñ Location: Main tourist centres are Buckingham, Aylesbury, Marlow and Henley-on-Thames.
w Don’t Miss: Waddesdon Manor; Stowe Gardens.
> Timing: At least two days.
/ Kids: Roald Dahl Gallery; Roald Dahl Museum.
WALK
The gentle rolling Chilterns are ideal for walkers. The Ridgeway National Trail was one of Iron Age Britain’s main highways; today it is a waymarked long-distance footpath.
Another easy route is the Thames Path, which follows the river and crosses the Ridgeway. Tourist offices will be able to provide detailed walking maps, and www.chilternsaonb.org can also be useful for planning your trip.
AYLESBURY AREA
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire’s county town, was a major market town in Anglo-Saxon times and played a large part in the English Civil War.
The Buckinghamshire County Museum on Church Street (open late Mar–early Nov Tue–Sat 10am–5pm (open bank hol Mons and during school hols), Oct–Feb Tue–Sat 10am–4pm; Dahl Gallery open late Mar–Nov, Sat only in term time, school hols Mon–Sat 10am–5pm/4pm Nov; museum free; / Dahl Gallery £6, child £4; entry by timed ticket; visits last an hour and entry is on the hour, booking is advised, additional £1 fee; f; t01296 331 441; www.buckscc.gov.uk) traces local history but many visitors head straight for the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery – a delight for fans of the great author.
South of Aylesbury in the village of Hartwell is Hartwell House, now a luxuryhotel, first mentioned in the Domesday Book, once the home of an illegitimate son of William the Conqueror.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl lived and wrote for 36 years in Great Missenden village; it is now home to the award-winning Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre (/ open year-round Tue–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat–Sun and bank hol/half-term Mons 11am–5pm; £6, child £4; jf; t01494 892 192; www.roalddahlmuseum.org; book ahead if possible).
Five mi/8km northwest of Aylesbury via the A 41 is Waddesdon Manoraa (NT; open late Mar/Apr–Oct & mid-Nov–1 Jan Wed–Fri and bank hol Mons, noon–4pm, Sat–Sun 11am–4pm; £18; gardens only, £8; in peak periods booking for house tickets recommended. £3 fee for phone bookings, free online; jõf; t01296 653 226; www.waddesdon.org.uk), built in 1874–89 in French Renaissance style, for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, set in 150 acres/61ha of landscaped grounds. It contains the acclaimed Rothschild collection of Dutch, French and English paintings, French furniture, porcelain, carpets and many other works of art. Twenty rooms are furnished with French 18C royal furniture, Sèvres porcelain and Savonnerie carpets. Works by Gainsborough, Reynolds and Romney, plus pictures by Rubens, Cuyp, Van der Heyden and Dutch masters grace the walls.
Some 10mi/16km northwest of Aylesbury, off the A 41 to Waddesdon, is Claydon Housea (NT; Middle Claydon; open early/mid-Mar–Oct Sat–Wed 11am–5pm; £7; jõf; t01296 730 349 infoline, 01296 730 252; www.nationaltrust.org.uk), famous for its extravagant Rococo work, the parquetry staircase and the “Gothic Chinoiserie” woodwork of the Chinese Room. There are mementoes of Florence Nightingale, who was a frequent visitor.
BUCKINGHAM AREA
Buckingham was Buckinghamshire’s county town until Aylesbury took over in the 16C. Today it is best used as a base for walks in the surrounding area and for visiting Stowe Landscape Gardensaaa (NT; 3mi/5km NW, off the A 422; gardens: open daily 10am–4pm/6pm Apr–late Oct, last recommended entry 1hr 30mins before closing; Stowe House: times vary, visit www.stowe.co.uk/house for information; Guided walks Mon–Fri 1pm. closed 25 Dec, last Sat May; gardens £8.20; house £5.50; õf; t01280 817 15, www.nationaltrust.org.uk). These magnificent landscaped gardens, some of the finest in Europe, were created over a period of 200 years starting in 1700.
In 1733 William Kent began work and in 1741 Lancelot “Capability” Brown was appointed head gardener. The long, straight approach up the Grand Avenue (1.5mi/2.5km) gives glimpses through the trees of the temples, columns and arches and also a full view of the north front of Stowe House, part of the exclusive Stowe School. A full tour of the gardens would take a couple of hours but a shorter walk close to the house provides a visit or a view of the major features, which include over 40 temples, follies and monuments. Nearby, the parish church is the sole survivor of the medieval village of Stowe.
VALE OF WHITE HORSE
This shallow valley lying between the Ridgeway and the River Thames, and bounded by Wantage and Farringdon, stretches from the edge of Oxford to the threshold of the Cotswolds. Its name comes from the oldest chalk figure in Britain dating back to around 1000 BC.
Wantage
In the centre of this small market town stands a statue of its most famous son, King Alfred the Great. You can learn more about him and the region in the Vale & Downland Museum (Church St open year-round Mon–Sat, excl bank hols, 10am–4pm; jf; t01235 771 447; wantage-museum.com).
One of the most rewarding short stretches of the famous Ridgeway footpath is 2mi/1.2km south of here.
White Horse Hill
This stylised, almost modern-art figure of a 374ft-/114m-long horse (or perhaps a dragon) has perplexed scholars for centuries. It was carved out of the chalk hillside some 3,000 years ago but by whom, and for why, remains a mystery. One school of thought says that the figure represents a horse goddess connected with the local Belgae tribe.
Woolstone and Uffington
Just below the White Horse, Woolstone is possibly the prettiest of the region’s many attractive villages. It has a beautiful 12C church and a pretty thatched pub – The White Horse Inn (naturally…). Neighbouring Uffington also has a fine church, known locally as “The Cathedral of the Vale”. Thomas Hughes (1822–96), author of Tom Brown’s School Days, was born here. Hughes’ books are based on local people and places; and the 17C schoolhouse featured in his most famous work is now Tom Brown’s School Museum (open Easter–Oct Sat–Sun & bank hol Mons 2–5pm; www.museum.uffington.net). It includes mementoes of the late poet laureate Sir John Betjeman (1906–84), who also lived for many years in Uffington.
and around
The Romans built the first real settlement here on the south bank of the River Ver and named it Verulamium. Around AD 250, so the legend goes, Alban, a pagan living in the town, was converted to Christianity when he sheltered a Christian priest. Facing imminent discovery, Alban switched cloaks with the priest, was arrested in his place by Roman soldiers and executed, thus becoming England’s first Christian martyr. Following the Romans’ departure the town’s building blocks were transferred to the other bank of the river to build an abbey, beside which the town of St Alban’s developed.
= Population: 80,376.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas p 19 or Map 504 T 28.
i Info: Town Hall, Market Place. t01727 864 511. www.enjoystalbans.com.
Ñ Location: 27mi/43km northwest of London. Train station (London St Pancras 20 mins) is a 10-min walk from the centre. Most buses stop at the central clock tower.
w Don’t Miss: Verulamium Museum; cathedral; Woburn Abbey; Hatfield House.
> Timing: Allow half a day.
/ Kids: Woburn Safari Park; Whipsnade Wild Animal Park; Hatfield Park Farm.
CATHEDRALa
Open daily 8.30am–5.45pm. £3 contribution requested. Guided tours Mon–Sat 11.30am plus Sat 2pm, Sun–Fri 2.30pm and 1.05 daily. Tower tours (£8) and Abbey by Night tours (£12) see website for dates. jf. t01727 860 780, 01727 890213 (tower tours).
The original abbey was a Saxon shrine to St Alban. The present building, dominated by its Norman tower, began in 1077. The impressive Norman nave was lengthened in the Early English style; the Victorian west front dates from 1879, the chapter house from 1982.
The beauty of the interior lies in the furnishings – the exquisite medieval wall paintings and ceiling panels, the nave screen (1350), the reredos (1484), the Lady Chapel (1320) and the shrine.
VERULAMIUMa
Western outskirts of St Albans just off the A 4147/Bluehouse Hill.
Verulamium, the third-largest city in Roman Britain, was established in AD 49 on Watling Street and rebuilt at least twice – once after being sacked by Boadicea in AD 61 then again c.155 after a major fire. When the Romans withdrew, Verulamium fell into ruins, was lost and not uncovered until the 20C. Verulamium Park, beside the river, includes town wall remains, the hypocaust of a large villa in situ (open during museum opening hours, see below, free entry). and the remains of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium (open daily 10am–5pm/4pm Nov–Mar; £2.50; t01727 835 035; www.romantheatre.co.uk). Also in the park, the Verulamium Museuma (St Michael’s Street; open year-round daily 10am (2pm Sun)–5.30pm. £3.80. jõ(Charge). t01727 751 810. www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk) displays some of the most impressive Roman works to be unearthed in Britain – ironwork, jewellery, coins, glass, pottery and exceptional mosaics. The museum is “invaded” every second weekend in the month by Roman soldiers who demonstrate the tactics and equipment of the Roman Imperial Army.
EXCURSIONS
Hatfield Houseaa
Ñ 6mi/10km E of St Albans on the A 414. House and gardens: open late Mar/Easter Sat–Sept Wed–Sun and bank hols. House noon–5pm. Park and West Garden: open 10am–5/5.30pm. East Garden: open Wed only 11am–5pm. House, park and West Garden £15.50; East Garden £4; Park and West garden only, £10. Park and farm (inc Play Area): open Tue–Sun and bank hols 10am–5.30pm or dusk. £4.50, child £2. jõf. t01707 287 010.
Elizabeth I at Hatfield
It was at Hatfield under an oak tree in what is now Hatfield Park that Elizabeth I heard of her succession – “It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.” All that remains of her childhood home, a palace built by Cardinal Morton, is the old Tudor Palace Hall – “one of the foremost monuments to medieval brickwork in the country” according to the acclaimed architectural historian, Pevsner. The adjacent knot garden is said to be where Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood and in November 1558, she held her first Council of State here. Sadly, it is only open today as a venue for social and corporate functions. The long gallery holds the queen’s silk stockings, hat and gloves.
This is one of the finest and largest Jacobean houses in England, the home of the Cecil family since the time of Henry VIII. The interior is notable for its hall, staircase and long gallery. In the Marble Hall the magnificently carved screen, minstrels’ gallery and panels are Jacobean;, the gigantic 17C allegorical tapestry is from Brussels. The Ermine Portrait of Elizabeth I is attributed to Nicholas Hilliard while the one of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots is said to be by Rowland Lockey. The grand oak staircase is Jacobean carving at its best. Note the relief of John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I, who was employed at Hatfield, and the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth I. In the library is the execution warrant for Mary Queen of Scots.
The extensive gardens include a scented garden and fountains, and a spectacular knot garden. The West Garden includes a scented garden and herb garden. The East Garden, best viewed from the first floor of the House, has elegant parterres, topiary, rare plants and a maze. The estate also includes the 12C St Etheldreda’s Church and the Hatfield Real Tennis Court. For children there’s the / Bloody Hollow Play Area and Hatfield Park Farm, featuring traditional breeds.
Knebworth Housea
Ñ 5mi/8km N by the A 1 junction 7. Open late Mar/Easter Sat–last weekend Sept noon–5pm. Easter–mid-Apr and most of May, Jun and Sept Sat–Sun only. Open daily school holidays plus Aug and Jul except during music festival. See website for exact dates. House noon–5pm, gardens 11am–5pm. Entry by guided tours only, except on busy weekends. £12. j. õ. f. t01438 812 661. www.knebworthhouse.com.
Hatfield House
© John Miller/iStockphoto.com
The great hall with its richly carved screen and minstrels’ gallery has hardly changed since the house was built in the 15C. The Gothic style was introduced by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Victorian novelist, playwright and politician; it is best seen in the State Drawing Room with its turreted fireplace, painted panels and stained-glass windows, often used as a film set in Hollywood movies. Knebworth is famous for its rock concerts.
/ Whipsnade Wild Animal Parka
Ñ Dunstable. 13mi/21km NW via the A 5183. Open daily late Mar–Oct 10am–5.30pm/6pm, Nov–late Mar 4pm. Closed 25 Dec. j. õ (£4). f. £19.09, child £14.54; small reduction winter t0844 225 1826. www.zsl.org.
The biggest zoo in the country, Whipsnade (part of London Zoo), plays a major role in animal conservation and welfare. Star attractions are elephants, sea lions, bears, lions, tigers, zebras, rhinos, penguins, chimpanzees and a walk-through lemur area.
Woburn Abbeyaa
Ñ 22mi/35km N via the M 10, then M 1 to junction 12 and minor road W. Abbey: open late Mar–late Sept & half-term hol week Oct daily 11am–4pm (last entry). Deer park, gardens and grounds: open Jan–Oct daily, Nov–Dec Fri–Sun only, 10am–5pm/4pm winter (last entry). £14 (all areas). Combined tickets with safari park £25.99, child £18.99. Guided tours. õf. t01525 290 333. www.woburnabbey.co.uk.
Woburn was a Cistercian abbey for 400 years before becoming a private mansion. The north range was refurbished in 1630 but the more significant changes date from the 18C. The interior contains sumptuously furnished apartments including the Mortlake Tapestries, based on Raphael’s Acts of the Apostles.
The State Rooms include Queen Victoria’s Bedroom with etchings by Victoria and Albert; Queen Victoria’s Dressing Room with walls adorned by superb 17C Dutch and Flemish paintings including works by Aelbert Cuyp, and Van Dyck; the Blue Drawing Room with its ceiling (1756) and its fireplace by Duval and Rysbrack; the State Saloon with its ornamental ceiling and Rysbrack chimneypiece; the State Dining Room graced by a Meissen dinner service and a portrait by Van Dyck; the Reynolds Room displaying 10 of his portraits; and the Canaletto Room hung with 21 Venetian views.
The Library, the finest room in the Holland range, is divided into three parts by Corinthian columns; on the walls hang Self-Portrait and Old Rabbi by Rembrandt. The Long Gallery, also divided by columns, by Flitcroft, is hung with 16C paintings including the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I.
The Deer Park (3,000 acres/1,200ha) was landscaped by Humphry Repton and is home to some one thousand deer from nine different species.
/ Woburn Safari Parka
Ñ Entrance 1mi/1km from Woburn Abbey. Open mid-Feb–Oct/early Nov daily 10am–5pm (last entry). Rest of year (weather permitting) Fri–Sun 10am–3pm (last entry). Closed 23–26 Dec. £19.99, child £14.99; £1 online discount. Combined tickets with abbey £25.99, child £18.99. jõf. t01525 290 407. www.woburnsafari.co.uk.
This is the country’s largest drive-through safari park, with white rhino, elephant, tiger, lion, giraffe, bear, wolves, monkeys, eland, oryx, gemsbok, zebra, camel, bison and many more. You can drive your own vehicle through the reserves as often as you wish before parking in the Wild World Leisure Area. From here you can make another trip on the off-road Safari Lorry, hop aboard a small safari train, take a foot safari, attend feedings and talks, or let the kids blow off steam in the play areas. The park is also home to the Go Ape high-wire forest adventure course (additional charge £30).
The Thames gently winds between Kew and its source in the Cotswolds, offering many varied pleasures as it passes through an often idyllic English countryside of low hills, woods, meadows, country houses, pretty villages and small towns.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas p 18 or Map 504 Q, R 28 and 29.
i Info: Town Hall, Henley-on-Thames. t0149 578 034. www.southernoxfordshire.com.
Ñ Location: The London service, from Paddington to Henley takes 1hr direct, or 37mins via Twyford.
SIGHTS
Cookham
This pretty village has been immortalised by the artist Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959). The chapel which Spencer attended as a boy is now the Stanley Spencer Gallerya (open late Mar/Apr–Oct daily 10.30am–5pm. Nov–Easter Thu–Sun 11am–4.30pm; £5; j; t01628 471 885; http://stanleyspencer.org.uk). Cookham features in many of his paintings.
Henley-on-Thames
In the first week of July some of the world’s best oarsmen visit this charming town for the Henley Royal Regatta, England’s premier rowing event.
The /River and Rowing Museum (Mill Meadows; open daily 10am–5pm, May–Aug 5.30pm; Closed 1 Jan, 24–25 & 31 Dec; £8.50, child £6.50; jõf; t01491 415 600; www.rrm.co.uk) illustrates the evolution of rowing; the River Thames as a habitat for wildlife, a means of trade and source of pleasure; and the history of Henley-on-Thames. Its Wind in the Willows gallery celebrates the famous story set on the Thames, by Kenneth Grahame, who lived in nearby Pangbourne (1922–32).
Mapledurhama
Open Easter Sat–Sept Sat–Sun and bank hols 2–5.30pm (Oct Sun only) 2–5.30pm. House & mill £8.50. jõf. t0118 972 3350. www.mapledurham.co.uk.
An Elizabethan manor house beside a 14C church and a fully operational watermill dating back to the 15C, form an idyllic riverside picture.
Basildon Parka
NT. House open early Mar–22 Dec noon–5pm (Nov–Dec 11am–4pm). Entry Tue by guided tour only. Grounds open early Feb–22 Dec 10am–4/5pm. £10.90. jõf. t0118 984 3040. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
The splendid Palladian villa overlooking a lush part of the Thames Valley was built by John Carr in 1776. It is rich in exquisite plasterwork and boasts a fine collection of 18C paintings.
Goring and Streatley
These two villages, with the weir and Goring Lock, are set in one of the most beautiful parts of the Thames, offering enjoyable riverside walks.
Clivedenaa
NT. House: Part open by 30min guided tour, timed ticket, Apr–Oct Thu & Sun 3–5.30pm. £1.50. t01628 605069. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cliveden. Garden: open mid-Feb–Dec, 10am– 5.30pm (4pm Oct–Dec). £6. Cafe.
Set high above one of the most glorious stretches of the Thames, Cliveden has entertained every monarch from George I onwards. From 1893 to 1966 it was the home of America’s richest family, the Astors; in 1963 John Profumo first met Christine Keeler here to begin their scandalous affair. The house is now a luxury hotel and its magnificent gardens and majestic woodlands – formal Parterre, secluded glades, tree-lined avenues and riverside woodland walks – capture the grandeur of a bygone age.
Blenheim Palace and around
The city of Oxford is famous as the home of England’s oldest university. Its romantic townscape of “dreaming spires”, mellow golden stone walls and students in black gowns on bicycles has been the setting for any number of works of fiction, from Harry Potter to Inspector Morse and Jude the Obscure.
= Population: 118,795.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas p 18 or Map 504 Q 28.
i Info: 15–16 Broad Street. t01865 252 200. www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com.
Ñ Location: 58mi/93km northwest of London. The train station (55 mins to London Paddington) is a 10-minute walk from the centre. The bus station is in the centre at Gloucester Green. Oxford is compact and can be covered on foot, or from an open-top bus (t01865 790 522; www.citysightseeingoxford.com).
w Don’t Miss: Punting on the river; Christ Church; Bodleian Library; Ashmolean Museum; University Museum of Natural History/Pitt Rivers Museum.
> Timing: At least three days. Many of the colleges are open only in the afternoon; visiting times are usually displayed at the porter’s lodge. Opening times at www.ox.ac.uk.
/ Kids: Oxford Castle Unlocked.
zWalking Tours: Contact the tourist office. The tour marked on the map (p262) explores the city’s highights.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Oxford developed in Saxon times around the 8C nunnery of St Frideswide, now Christ Church, and still maintains its original street plan and parts of its city walls. Religious foundations sprang up and in about 1200 the university emerged as a federation of monastic halls; it is still a federation of autonomous colleges today. Oxford was the headquarters of the Royalists during the Civil War (Charles I staying at Christ Church and Henrietta Maria at Merton College). Reform came in the 19C, with the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement – which revived the Catholic tradition within the Anglican Church – and the growth of scientific research. In the 20C women were admitted and most of the colleges are now co-educational. However, the essence of Oxford remains unchanged.
The bicycle shop opened in Longwall Street by William Morris in 1902, where he began to make motorcycles, has since developed into a vast motor manufacturing enterprise in the suburb of Cowley, where BMW now produces Minis.
MUSEUMS AND TRINITY COLLEGE
Oxford’s finest collections can be found in the Ashmolean Museumaa (M1; Beaumont Street; open Tue–Sun & bank hol Mon 10am–5pm; j;f; t01865 278 002; www.ashmolean.org). Built in 1845, this museum houses the university’s archaeology and art collections. Greek and Roman sculptures, Egyptian antiquities, and the decorative and fine arts of China, Japan, Tibet, India and Persia are well represented. The outstanding object here is the exquisite late-9C Alfred Jewel, probably made for Alfred the Great. The principal art collections are: Italian paintings, with masterpieces by Uccello and Piero di Cosimo; Renaissance works by Bellini, Veronese, Tintoretto and Giorgione; outstanding Pre-Raphaelite paintings including works by Hunt and Charles Collins; a good selection of French Impressionists; and 20C British works from the Camden Town school. From the Ashmolean, head east on Beaumont Street, past the Martyr’s Memorial (D1) and enter Balliol College (note the scorch marks on the inner and outer quad doors from the 16C burning of two Protestant bishops in Broad Street) to access Trinity College (Broad Street; open Mon–Fri 9am–12.15pm, 1.30–4pm, Sat–Sun (term time) 1–4pm, Sat–Sun (spring & summer hols only) 9.30am–4pm/dusk; £2; t01865 279 900; www.trinity.ox.ac.uk), founded 1555. Standing well back from Broad Street, behind gardens in the Front Quad, is the chapela, with Grinling Gibbons’ exquisite carvings. Note in the Durham Quad the 17C Library and in the Garden Quad, facing Trinity Gardensa, the north range by Sir Christopher Wren.
Head north from Trinity, up Parks Road to visit the University Museum of Natural Historya (Parks Road, off Broad Street; open 10am–5pm; closed Easter and over Christmas; j; t01865 272 950; www.oum.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1860, the museum’s natural history contents (including the famous Oxford Dodo) arguably tell us more about the Victorians than the natural world, though both sink into insignificance beside the extraordinary building: a cast-iron neo-Gothic Revival cathedral designed like a railway station, with 19C decorated stone carvings of animals and plants by the Irish sculptor-mason family, the O’Sheas. A doorway at the end leads to the Pitt Rivers Museuma (open year-round Tue–Sun & bank hol Mons 10am–4.30pm; other Mons noon–4.30pm; closed Easter and over Christmas; j; t01865 270 927; www.prm.ox.ac.uk), Oxford’s splendidly eclectic and highly colourful anthropological collection of masks, musical instruments, jewellery, skulls, totem poles, armour, and more…
CITY CENTRE
The route marked on the map (T see p262) offers a tour of all of the colleges, but you may prefer simply to wander and admire the architecture.
Punting on the river
©Lulla Bi/Bigstockphoto.com
Oxford’s heart is Radcliffe Square and the landmark Baroque Radcliffe Cameraa, which contains two reading rooms, mainly used by undergraduates (open only on the Bodleian Library Extended Tour). This rotunda, designed by James Gibbs, is a useful reference point when exploring the many colleges that branch off it.
North of the Quadrangle
On the north side of the quadrangle you will find one of the world’s great libraries, the Bodleian Libraryaa (A; Broad Street; Divinity School, Old Schools Quadrangle and Exhibition Room open year-round Mon–Fri 9am–5pm/later in summer, Sat 9am–4.30pm, Sun 11am–5pm; Divinity School £1, Exhibition Rooms free; tours see website for times. tours of Divinity School and Library £7–£13; j; t01865 287 400; www.bodley.ox.ac.uk), which contains a copy of every book printed in Britain. Established in the 14C and rebuilt in the 17C, the Bodleian contains more than 6 million books, manuscripts and maps. The main entrance leads to th Old Schools Quadrangle, built in 1439 in the Jacobean-Gothic style. On the right is the Tower of the Five Orders, richly decorated with the five classical orders of architecture. Opposite is the 15C Divinity School – Harry Potter fans may recognise it from the first two films – famous for the bosses and pendants of its lierne vaultinga. Above is Duke Humphrey’s Library (1610–12), with its decorated ceilingaa.
Just north of the Bodleian you will find the Clarendon Building and, next door, the Sheldonian Theatrea (Broad Street; open Feb–Nov (university functions permitting) Mon–Sat 10am–4.30pm, Jul–Aug also Sun 10.30am–3.30pm; Dec–Jan Mon–Fro 10am–3.30pm); closed Easter and Christmas; £3.50; j; t01865 277 299; www.sheldon.ox.ac.uk). Built 1664–69, Oxford’s first Classical building and Sir Christoper Wren’s first work of architecture was designed to accommodate formal university ceremonies, a function it fulfils today, alongside its role as a recital room for small music concerts. Next door is Hawksmoor’s 1713 Palladian Clarendon Building (BZ), now part of the Bodleian Library.
View from Sheldonian Theatre
D. Chapuis/MICHELIN
East of the Quadrangle
On the east side of the quadrangle you first come to All Souls College (High Street; open Sept–Jul Mon–Fri 2pm–4pm; closed Easter, 22 Dec–3 Jan; t01865 279 379; www.all-souls.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1438 as a memorial to those killed in the Hundred Years War, the Front Quadrangle is mid-15C and the larger North Quad, by Nicholas Hawksmoor, is 18C. Between them is the 1442 Perpendicular chapela, with 15C glass in the antechapel, and a magnificent medieval reredos.
Further east are Hertford College and New College (New College Lane gate summer, Holywell Street gate winter; open daily Easter–Oct 11am–5pm Oct–Easter 2–4pm; £2 (winter free); t01865 279 555; www.new.ox.ac.uk). Founded by William of Wykeham in 1379, New College still maintains some of its original buildings. The Great Quad is quintessential English Perpendicular; the hall is the oldest in Oxford. The 15C chapela is vast, complete with 14C glass. The cloister is a place of calm, offering a view of the 1400 Bell Tower. In the gardens is Oxford’s finest section of city walls, including five bastions.
Across Longwall Street from New College is Magdalen Collegeaa (open daily: Oct–Jun 1pm–dusk/6pm, Jul–Sept noon–7pm; closed Christmas; £5; f); t01865 276 000; www.magd.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1458 Magdalen (pronounced “mordlin”) was originally the Hospital of St John the Baptist; the wall running along the High Street is even earlier, dating from the 13C. The chapel, bell tower and cloisters are sumptuous late Perpendicular. The chapel is adorned with gargoyles and pinnacled buttresses.
The 150ft/46m bell tower is still “the most absolute building in Oxford” (James I). The gargoyles on the cloister buttresses are a familiar feature of the Great Quadrangle.
All Souls College
© B. Tschakert / imagebroker / age fotostock
Beside Magdalen Bridge is a boat house and punting station (you will also find these at Folly Bridge and Bardwell Road). A relaxing trip on a flat-bottomed punt along the Cherwell or the Thames is almost de rigueur for many visitors, and self-hire and chauffered punts are available by the hour (for more details visit www.oxfordpunting.co.uk).
West of the Quadrangle
Just west of the quadrangle is Brasenose College (Radcliffe Square; open year-round Sat–Sun 9.30–11am, 2–4.30pm/5pm summer; closed 25–26 Dec; £2; t01865 277 830; www.bnc.ox.ac.uk). Founded 1509, the Gatehouse, Front Quad and Hall are early-16C, the Library and Chapel mid-17C and the old kitchen a 14C relic of Brasenose Hall (the name refers to a doorknocker from the hall). Adjacent to Brasenose is Lincoln Collegea (Turl Street; open year-round Mon–Fri 2–5pm, Sat–Sun 11am–5pm; closed 1 Jan, 25–26 Dec; t01865 279 800; www.linc.ox.ac.uk). Founded 1427, the Front Quad and Hall were built in 1436 and provide a rare glimpse of medieval Oxford. The 1610–31 chapel in the Back Quad contains original 17C Flemish stained glass. Between the two quads are the rooms of John Wesley.
Christ Church and South
The Botanic Gardens (Rose Lane; open daily from 9am; closes 5pm Mar–Apr and Sept–Oct; 6pm May–Aug; 4pm Nov–Feb; closed Good Fri, 25 Dec; £4.50; j; t01865 286 690; www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk) to the southeast were established in 1621; these are the oldest botanic gardens in England. They provide a view of both the college towers and spires and the River Cherwell.
West of here is Merton Collegeaa (Merton Street; open year-round Mon–Fri 2–5pm/dusk, Sat–Sun 10am–5pm; closed Easter wk and Christmas; £3; t01865 276 310; www.merton.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1264, Merton has the oldest and most picturesque college buildings in Oxford. The oldest square is Mob Quad, a complete 14C quadrangle with the Library (1371–78) – the first medieval library to put books on shelves – on two sides. Adjacent is the Decorated Chapel (1294–97) with 14C transepts, and stained glass.
Leaving the chapel you immediately see Corpus Christi College (open daily 1.30pm–4.30pm; closed Easter and Christmas; t01865 276 700; www.ccc.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1517, the gateway and Front Quad are early Tudor. The Pelican Sundial in the centre of the quad was designed in 1581, the 16C Hall has a splendid hammerbeam roof and the 16C chapel contains an altarpiece attributed to the studio of Rubens.
Just beyond Corpus Christi is Christ Churchaa (college, cathedral and hall: open year-round Mon–Sat 10am–4.30pm, Sun 2–4.30pm; Cathedral closes 4.30pm; picture gallery: open Jun–Sept Mon–Sat 10.30am–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; Jun closed Tue; Oct–May Mon, Wed–Sat 10.30am–1pm, 2–4.30pm; closed 25 Dec; college, cathedral, hall £7–£8.50, gallery £3; j; t01865 286573, 01865 276492: www.chch.ox.ac.uk). Founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey “The House” is Oxford’s biggest and grandest Renaissance college. Oxford’s largest quadrangle is Tom Quada. Above the gatehouse is Wren’s synthesis of Baroque and Gothic, Tom Towera, a fine domed gateway. The Tudor Hallaa, by James Wyatt, boasts a magnificent fan-vaulted entrance stairway, hammerbeam roof and portraits by Kneller, Romney, Gainsborough, Lawrence and Millais. The Picture Gallery at Christ Church holds one of the most important private collections of Old Master drawings in the country and includes work by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Dürer, Raphael and Rubens. Picturesque Christ Church Meadow stretches from St Aldate’s to the River Thames. Christ Church Cathedrala, originally the church of St Frideswide’s Priory, is late Norman with a 16C roof. Its glory is its 15C stellar vaulted choir roofa. Nearby, just off Cornmarket Street, in the Town Hall on St Aldates, is the Museum of Oxford (open Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–3pm; j; t01865 252 351; www.museumofoxford.org.uk). Here you will discover the story of the city including its earliest residents’ medieval crafts, Civil War Oxford, famous literary connections and the growth of the modern city.
A little further up Cornmarket Street is Carfax Tower (open daily Apr–Sept 10am–5pm, rest of year 10am–4pm; t01865 790 522; £2.30; wNo children under five admitted), the centre of the Saxon and medieval city. This 14C tower is all that remains of St Martin’s Church.
There are good views of the High Street (“the High”) from the top of the tower.
There are four entrances from the High Street to the delightful Victorian Covered Marketa, which dates back to 1774.
West of Carfax, along Queen Street and Castle Street is / Oxford Castle Unlockeda (open year-round daily 10am–5.30pm (last tour 4.20pm; closed 25 Dec; £9.25, child £6.95; 15 per cent discount online; jf; t01865 260 666; www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk). The city’s most recent visitor attraction, this is a brilliant restoration of the former castle/prison complex, including a hotel and restaurants, and is worth a visit if only to see the exterior. George’s Tower is a striking survival from Oxford Castle, built 1071. Since then the site has been used as a place of incarceration until its closure in 1996. The more colourful events – violence, executions, escapes, betrayal, romance – which shaped its grim history are explored with relish by the castel guides.
WOODSTOCK
8hmi/13km N of Oxford.
Effectively the lobby to Blenheim Palace, the elegant little mellow Cotswold-stone town of Woodstock is well worth a visit in its own right. Old coaching inns and antique shops cluster round the Classical town hall. Across the street, the Oxfordshire Museum (open year-round Tue–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; jf; t01865 811 456; www.oxfordshire.gov.uk) tells the story of both town and county. Kids enjoy its Dinosaur Gallery.
BLENHEIM PALACEaaa
Woodstock. Park: open daily (except 25 Dec) 9am–4.45pm (last entry); closed 25 Dec. House: open mid-Feb–Oct daily; Nov–mid-Dec Wed–Sun 10.30am–5.30pm. Pleasure Gardens: open 10am–6pm on dates when house open Park open year-round daily 9am–6pm. Palace and park £22, park & gardens £13. Guided tour (1hr) except Sun, bank hols and busy periods). jõf. t0800 849 6500.
The greatest building of the English Baroque, residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, is matched in splendour by the sublime landscaping of its vast park.
A Bit of History
The Royal Manor of Woodstock once the hunting ground of Saxon kings, was the birthplace of Edward the Black Prince (b.1330). In the 18C the royal manor was given to John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722), to mark his victory in 1704 over the armies of Louis XIV at Blenheim in Bavaria. Seemingly limitless funds from the national purse were made available for a “Royall and National Monument” to be erected in celebration of this decisive check to France’s pan-European ambitions. Leading architects and craftsmen were employed, foremost among them Sir John Vanbrugh, one of England’s most original architects, whose inventiveness and sense of drama found full expression here. The grandiose project, a monument rather than a home, was completed in 1722. A century and a half later, on 30 November 1874, his direct descendant, Winston Churchill, grandson of the 7th Duke, was born here. This most illustrious of Englishmen is buried in the churchyard at Bladon (3mi/5km south).
On the first floor “Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story” is a good introduction to the estate’s 300-year history.
The palace’s huge scale and fortress-like character are relieved by almost theatrical composition and exuberant detail. Its silhouette has a romantic, even medieval air, with an array of turrets, pinnacles and disguised chimney-pots, and the Great Court (450ft/137m long) is like a stage set, a succession of colonnades, towers and arcades leading the eye inexorably to the main façade with its imposing portico. Symbols of military prowess and patriotism abound; over the courtyard gateway the cockerel of France is mauled by the English lion.
Interior
A series of splendidly decorated rooms continues the monumental theme. In the Great Hall (67ft/20m high) the ceiling is painted with an allegory of Marlborough’s victory. Sir Winston Churchill’s life is celebrated in a suite of rooms, including the one in which he was born. State apartments are furnished with original pieces. There are portraits by Reynolds, Romney, Van Dyck and one, by Sargent, of the 9th Duke with his family and American-born wife Consuelo. The vast Saloon has a great painted colonnade, apparently open to the sky. The Long Library, with a magnificent stucco ceiling, runs the entire length (180ft/55m) of the west front. In the chapel is the bombastic tomb of the 1st Duke.
Groundsaaa
The ancient hunting park, with its venerable trees and deer-proof wall, was worked upon in the early-18C by the royal gardeners. The Italian Garden to the east of the palace and the spectacular Water Garden to the west are modern, as is the symbolic maze of trophies, cannon and trumpets in the walled garden, but they capture something of the spirit of the formal avenues and geometrical parterres which were mostly swept away by Lancelot “Capability” Brown, the greatest of English landscape architects. The redesigned park is his masterpiece, offering, from the Woodstock Gate, what has been described as “the finest view in England”. Sweeping grassy slopes, noble groves of trees and the curving outline of the great lake, crossed by Vanbrugh’s Grand Bridge, provide a more than worthy setting for the palace.
The huge Doric column (134ft/41m high) is topped by a statue of the 1st Duke with Victory in his grasp. Downstream, Brown’s water engineering terminates in his Grand Cascade, over which the little River Glyme foams to rejoin its former bed.
In the /Pleasure Grounds (the area nearest the house) are various attractions including Blenheim Bygones, a lavender garden, a maze, a butterfly house (closed winter) and an adventure play area. A land train (free) saves weary feet. You are also free to wander the 2100 acres/850ha of beautiful parkland.
DORCHESTERa
10mi/16km S of Oxford.
This historic village dates back to the Bronze Age and boasts a fine Norman abbey church (open daily 8am–6pm/dusk, abbey museum open early Apr–Sept daily 2–5pm; õf(seasonal); t01865 340 007; www.dorchester-abbey.org.uk).
ABINGDON ON THAMESa
11mi/17km S of Oxford. iOld Abbey House. t01235 522711. www.southernoxfordshire.com.
The town grew up around an abbey founded in the 7C, though the only remaining abbey buildings are the 13C Chequer with its tall chimney, the c.1500 Long Gallery with an oak-beamed roof and the 15C gateway beside the medieval church of St Nicholas. Abingdon’s skyline is characterised by the 15C spire of the wide five-aisled St Helen’s Church. Delightful 15C almshousesa border the churchyard.
Cirencester to Chipping Campden
Rising gently from the Upper Thames Valley in the southeast to a dramatic escarpment overlooking the Severn Vale in the west, the Cotswolds cover around 770sq mi/2,000sq km), encapsulating rural England in concentrated form. Airy open uplands, sheltered in places by stately belts of beech trees, alternate with deep valleys enfolding venerable golden limestone villages and small county towns.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas pp 17 and 27 or Map 503 O 27 and 28.
i Info: 33a High Street, Burford. t01993 823558. The Old Police Station, High Street, Chipping Campden. t01386 841 206. Corinium Museum, Park Street, Cirencester. t01285 654 180. Victoria Street, Bourton-on-the-Water. t01451 820 211. www.cotswolds.com.
Ñ Location: Most of the central villages make a good base. Alternatively, stay in Oxford, Stratford, Cheltenham or Bath. Regular Cotswolds bus tours depart from all of these in summer.
w Don’t Miss: The villages of Bibury and Chipping Campden; Chastleton House; Snowshill Manor; Hidcote Manor Garden; the view from Broadway Tower.
w Beware: Busy roads and crowds during school summer holidays.
> Timing: At least three days.
/ Kids: Cotswold Wildlife Park and Bourton-on-the-Water’s many child-friendly attractions.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The region has long been favoured for settlement. The commanding heights in the west are crowned more often than not by the hill forts of prehistoric man, whose burial places also abound, from the chambered tombs of the Neolithic to the round barrows of the Bronze Age. Great estates were farmed from the Roman villas lying just off Ermin Street and the Fosse Way. In the Middle Ages it was the wool from countless sheep grazing on the fine pasture of the wolds which gave rise to a trade of European importance and to a class of prosperous merchants, whose monuments are the great “wool” churches which they built from the underlying oolitic limestone. Ranging in colour from silver or cream to deepest gold, this loveliest of building stone is synonymous with “Cotswold character”. Yielding the sophisticated masonry of manor houses, the “tiles” of cottage roofs, rough-dressed walls of barns and even the drystone boundaries of fields, it creates a rare harmony of building and landscape. Far removed from coalfields and big cities, the area escaped the effects of industrialisation; its rural pattern is intact, an idyllic setting for quiet exploration of the past.
Arlington Row, Bibury
© Taylor Richard/Sime/Photononstop
ΎDRIVING TOUR
CIRENCESTER TO CHIPPING CAMPDEN
Ñ 40mi/64km; Allow a day.
This tour runs north through some of the region’s most delightful small towns and villages towards the escarpment above Broadway with its spectacular views.
Cirencestera
The “Capital of the Cotswolds” is still the market town for a prosperous rural region. It was founded as a Roman fort, Corinium, established early in the Roman occupation at the junction of three major roads – Ermin Street, Akeman Street and the Fosse Way. By the 2C AD it had become a walled city, second only to London in size, the centre of a flourishing countryside of villa estates. The old town is compact and has kept a traditional townscape, little marred by incongruous intrusions. It is hemmed in by the green spaces of two ancient estates: the gardens of the abbey sloping down to the pretty River Churn (the abbey buildings were demolished at the Dissolution) and the grandiose formal landscape of Cirencester Park, which contains the magnificent Broad Avenue (5mi/8km) and the great house, concealed from the town by a high wall and an even higher yew hedge.
On Coxwell Street, the Church of St John the Baptista ( open year-round daily 9.30am–5pm, except during services; closed 25–Dec except for services; t01285 659 317; www.cirenparish.co.uk) is one of the largest parish churches in the country, and an important example of a Cotswold “wool church”. The lofty tower of 1400–20, supported by powerful spur buttresses, rises grandly above the town (tours, Sat summer, see website for dates; £3). The unusual three-storey porch opening into the marketplace once served as the town hall. The nave is exceptionally high and spacious; its immensely tall piers carry angels bearing the coats of arms of those pious townsfolk responsible for the ambitious rebuilding of 1516–30. Throughout the interior there is a wealth of detail: an unusual pre-Reformation pulpit; the Boleyn Cup, a gilt cup made for Anne Boleyn; memorial brasses grouped in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity; and, in the Lady Chapel, the charming effigies of Humfry Bridges (d.1598), his wife and their numerous children.
On Park Street, the Corinium Museuma (open year-round daily Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 2pm–5pm; closes 4pm daily Nov-Mar; closed 1 Jan; 23–26 Dec; £4.95; jf; t01285 655 611; http://coriniummuseum.org) is a modern well-arranged museum explaining Cotswold history from geological to recent times. It holds one of the finest and most extensive Roman collections in the country, including a series of superb mosaic pavementsa. The building also houses the local tourist information office.
Ñ From Cirencester drive east on the A 429 and the B 4425.
Biburya
William Morris’ epithet of “the most beautiful village in England” is justified by the combined prospect of the River Coln, stone bridges, Arlington Row weavers’ cottages and the gables of Bibury Court against a wooded background.
Ñ From Bibury return SW by the B 4425; at the crossroads turn left; in Poulton turn left on to the A 417.
Fairford
This old coaching village is famous for the Church of St Marya, (open year-round daily 10am–5pm/3.30pm in winter; t01285 712611; www.stmaryschurchfairford.org.uk), harmoniously re-built in the late-15C. Sculptures, some humorously grotesque, enrich the exterior. Inside, the screens, stalls and misericords of the choir are of exceptional quality. But the church’s glory is its wonderful set of stained-glass windowsaa (c.1500), tracing in colour the Bible’s story from Adam and Eve to the Last Judgement.
Ñ From Fairford take the A 417 E and the A 361 N.
/ Cotswold Wildlife Parka
Open year-round daily 10am–6pm (winter 5pm). Last entry 90mins before closing. £12.50, child £8.50 (narrow-gauge railway £1). jõf. t01993 823 006. www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.
The peaceful natural habitat of the park and gardens (160 acres/65ha), set around a listed Victorian manor house, is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Come eye to eye with giraffes on a high-level walkway; see rhinos, zebras, lions, leopards and ostriches behind unobtrusive moats; spot monkeys and otters; walk through the aviary in the old walled garden, or through the tropical house. Other attractions include an adventure playground, brass rubbing centre, children’s farmyard and narrow-gauge railway.
Ñ Continue north on the A 361.
Burforda
One of the focal points of the wool trade, later an important coaching town, Burford’s growth stopped when the turnpike road (A 40) bypassed it in 1812. With its wealth of beautifully preserved buildings, nearly all of Cotswold limestone, it is one of the region’s “show villages”. The single main street descends to cross the pretty River Windrush. About half-way down, the black-and-white timber -fronted building on stone pillars is the 16C Tolsey, once the courthouse, and toll collecting point, now the local museum (open Easter–Oct Mon–Fri 2–5pm, Sat & bank hols 11am–5pm; t01993 823 196, www.tolseymuseumburford.org).
Slightly apart from the town is the large Church of St John the Baptista, its tall spire rising gracefully above the watermeadows. Norman in origin, the church exhibits a rich variety of work from many periods; the pinnacled three-storey 15C porch is outstanding. Note the exuberant monument to Edward Harman (d.1569), decorated with American Indians, and rows of kneeling children.
Ñ Take the A 40 west to Northleach.
Northleach
This small market town is graced with many fine historic buildings but its “wool church” takes pride of place. It boasts Britain’s finest collection of memorial brasses, dedicated (unsurprisingly) to the merchants whose money built the church. Note the huge brass dedicated to John Fortey (d.1458), over 5ft /1.5m long, beneath the North Arcade. On the High Street is Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music Museum, (open year-round daily 10am–5pm; closed 25–26 Dec; £8; j; t01451 860 181, www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk), a showcase of ingenious self-playing musical instruments and automata, introduced and played by expert guides.
Ñ Take the A 429 south and turn right to Chedworth.
Chedworth Roman Villa
NT. Yanworth, nr Cheltenham. Open Feb half-term hols–Nov daily 10am–4pm (late Mar–late Oct 5pm). £8.80 õ. f.t01242 890 256. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
This large wealthy villa stood at the head of a small valley beside its own spring. It was undoubtedly one of the grandest buildings of the Roman Cotswolds. The remains, including good mosaic floors, have been carefully excavated and are well presented. The museum displays items found on the site.
Ñ Return to Northleach and continue N on the A 429.
/ Bourton-on-the-Watera
The village owes its special charm to the clear waters of the Windrush, which run between well-tended grass banks beside the main street and under elegant small stone bridges. It is the most commercialised of the Cotswolds villages, due in no small part to three very popular family attractions: The Model Village (Rissington Road, behind Old New Inn; open year-round daily 10am–6pm/winter 4pm; £3.60, child £2.80; j; t01451 820 467; www.theoldnewinn.co.uk; the excellent Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection (The Old Mill; open daily 10am–6pm Feb half-term hols–first Sun Nov; £4.75, child £3.40; j; t01451 821 255; www.cotswoldmotoringmuseum.co.uk), home to the popular children’s TV character Brum; and Birdland Park and Gardens (Rissington Road; open year-round daily 10am–6pm/Nov–Mar 4pm; £8.95, child £5.95; jf; t01451 820 480; www.birdland.co.uk), complete with penguins.
Ñ Make a detour west of the A 429 by a minor road to the Slaughters.
The Slaughters
Frequently cited as two of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds, both Lower and Upper Slaughter are picturesquely sited by the River Eye. The word “Slaughter” is in fact derived from the Old English word “Slohtre” meaning muddy place.
The Old Mill (open daily, Mar–Oct 10am–6pm, Nov–Feb 10am–dusk; f; charge; t01451 820 052, www.oldmill-lowerslaughter.com) at Lower Slaughter is worth a stop, not just for its local history museum but also for its riverside tearooms and handmade organic ice cream parlour.
Ñ Take the minor road north east into Stow-on-the-Wold.
This is the highest settlement in Gloucestershire and probably originated as a Roman lookout post on the Fosse Way. It is a regular stop for visitors on the traditional Cotswold circuit, to browse in the antique shops, admire the 14C cross in the marketplace or the Crucifixion by Caspar de Crayer (1610) in the church.
Ñ Take the A 436 north east; at the crossroads turn right onto the A 44.
Chipping Norton
This is one of the Cotswold’s liveliest towns with a good number of pubs, restaurants and shops and an acclaimed theatre. It has a fine wool church and a modest local museum.
Take a detour 2.6mi/4.2km north via the B 4026 to Little Rollright, where you will see signs to the Rollright Stones, (open daily sunrise–sunset; £1 honesty box; www.rollrightstones.co.uk). Set in a field is an ancient small stone circle – 70 stones, 104ft/31m in diameter – which according to the local legend represents a future king of England and his knights, turned to stone by a witch. The circle, some 4,000–4,500 years old, is known as The Kings Men. There is the (separate) King Stone, and the remains of a 5,000-year-old megalithic tomb, known as The Whispering Knights.
Ñ Return along the A 44.
Chastleton Houseaa
NT. Chastleton, nr Moreton-in-Marsh. Open early Mar–early Nov Wed–Sat 1pm–5pm (Oct & Mar 4pm); 1st 2 wks Dec Sat–Sun only 1pm–4pm. Entry by timed ticket, issued at reception on first-come, first-served basis (limited numbers available) from 12.30pm. £8.50. õf (in church); t01608 674 981. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
This rare gem of a Jacobean country house was built in the early-17C by a wool merchant and is a near-perfect time capsule. The absence of shop, tearoom and other modern accretions adds to the atmosphere.
The Great Hall, one of the last of its kind to be built, the richly decorated Great Chamber and the tunnel-vaulted Long Gallery, running the whole length of the top floor, evoke the atmosphere of domestic life in the 17C.
On the forecourt are the 17C stables and the little Church of St Mary. To the east of the house is a great rarity, a small formal garden surviving from about 1700.
Ñ Continue west on the A 44.
The route passes through Moreton-in-Marsh, an attractive little market town, where the Fosse Way broadens out to form the main street.
Ñ After 6mi/10km turn left onto the B 4081.
Snowshill Manor and Gardenaa
NT. Snowshill, nr Broadway. House: Open Jul–Aug Wed–Mon 11am–4.30pm. Apr–Jun & Aug–Oct Wed–Sun & bank hols noon–5pm. House and garden £9.40 (winter weekends, garden only £2); Entry to house by timed ticket only, issued at reception on first-come, first-served basis. On peak days tickets run out so arrive early. jõf. t01386 852 410. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
This typical Cotswold manor house (c. 1500) is snugly sited below the rim of the escarpment. The low-lit house is very atmospheric and crammed with a fascinating jackdaw’s nest of objects, acquired by the eccentric owner Charles Wade (1883–1956), the most striking of which is the Samurai armour collection displayed to its full menacing effect on brooding warrior mannequins in the gloom of the Green Room. Stepping out into the light, Wade also laid out the enchanting terraced gardena.
Ñ Return northeast on the B 4081; turn left onto a minor road.
Broadway Tower
Open year-round daily 10am–5pm (may vary in poor weather). £4.80. jõf. t01386 852 390. www.broadwaytower.co.uk.
Broadway Tower, a battlemented folly (1800), marks one of the highest points (1,024ft/312m) in the Cotswolds. It houses exhibitions on three floors about the history of its occupants. On a clear day the panoramaaaa extends to the Welsh borders. The surroundingcountry park includes a red deer enclosure and beautiful nature walks.
Ñ Continue on the minor road; turn left into the A 44, down a long hill.
Broadwaya
This handsome village, more formal than its neighbours, is famous for its variety of genteel upmarket antique and craft shops, cafés and restaurants, hotels and guesthouses.
The long, partly tree-lined ‘broadway’ rises gently from the village green at the western end to the foot of the escarpment, flanked by mellow stone buildings, from picturesque thatched cottages to the stately Lygon Arms hotel.
Ñ Take the B 4632 and B 4035 north then east to Chipping Campden.
Chipping Campdenaa
The long curving High Street, lined with buildings of all periods in the mellowest of limestone, makes Chipping Campden the embodiment of the Cotswold townscape. The town has been quietly prosperous since the great days of the medieval wool trade and something of its present state of preservation is due to the care and skill of the artists and craftspeople who were attracted to Chipping Campden in the early-20C.
Many of the houses in the High Street are substantial but, more than individual distinction, it is the overall harmony of the street scene which impresses. The centre of the town is marked by the arched and gabled Market Hall of 1627. Further north, distinguished by its two-storeyed bay window, is the house of William Grevel, “the flower of the wool merchants of all England”, who died in 1401 and is commemorated by a fine brass in the splendid St James’s Church (open daily; £1 donation requested; t01386 841 927; www.stjameschurchcampden.co.uk). In Church Street stand the almshouses built in 1617 by Sir Baptist Hicks. His own mansion (opposite) was destroyed but two pavilions survive, together with pepperpot lodges and the gateway, near the entrance to the church.
Ñ Take the B 4081 north (signed).
Hidcoteaa
NT. Hidcote Bartrim. Open May–Sept daily 9am–7pm. Sept–Oct & mid-Mar–Apr Sat–Wed 10am–6pm/Oct 5pm. Early Nov–3rd week Dec Sat–Sun 11am–4pm. £9.50. jõf. t01386 438 333. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
The horticulturalist Lawrence Johnstone has managed an enchanting variety of effects in such a small space (10 acres/4ha) and created one of the greatest English gardens of the 20C, an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Calm expanses of lawns (one of which is open for croquet), vistas down avenues or into the countryside contrast with luxuriant but carefully controlled wildness. A labyrinth of “garden rooms” encloses an arrangement of herbs, plants entirely in white, and a mysterious pool.
CHELTENHAMa
55mi/88km N of Bath and 96mi/155km W of London. Population: 91,301. i Art Gallery & Museum. t01242 522 878. www.visitcheltenham.com.
The benefits of the waters of this elegant English spa town were discovered early in the 18C, but it was at its most fashionable in the Regency period, when it developed the Classical architecture, squares, terraces and crescents, all in a delightful setting of trees and gardens, which are still its pride today. Despite its older residents and retirement-home status, it has an animated cultural life, with internationally important musical and literary festivals.
Town Centrea
Of pre-spa Cheltenham there remains little except the secluded Church of St Mary and the line of the much rebuilt High Street. At right angles is the Promenade; its spacious lower part is lined on one side by the Municipal Offices, an imposing terrace of 1823; its upper part, twice as broad, rises gently to the stately stuccoed façade of the Queen’s Hotel of 1838. To the east are the Imperial Gardens, a floral cocktail in summer; to the west, behind an avenue of trees, are some of the refined Regency houses with classical details and exquisite balcony ironwork which characterise the town. Farther south is Montpellier Walk, whose mid-19C shopfronts are divided up by Grecian caryatids; it terminates in the colonnade and dome of the old Montpellier Spa (now a bank).
Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Open daily 9.30am-5.15pm. Closed 25-26 Dec & Easter Sun. Free. www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk.
The highlight of the town gallery is its collection of applied art illustrating the importance of the Cotswolds in the Arts and Crafts movement. The redeveloped stylish new building (opened in 2013) houses galleries dedicated to local heroes, including the great Edward Wilson (one of Scott’s key men on his 1912 expedition to Antarctica), and temporary exhibition galleries – for showing national and international touring shows.
Pittville
This distinguished district of Classical terraces and villas (1mi/1.6km N of the High Street) was laid out in the early-19C by Joseph Pitt. In romantic Pittville Park great trees and sweeping lawns surround a picturesque lake.
Pittville Pump Rooma
Open year-round (events permitting) Wed–Mon 10am–4pm. Closed bank hol Mons, 25–26 Dec. õ. t0844 576 2210 621. www.pittvillepumproom.org.uk.
During the Regency this was the most magnificent of several buildings where the spa waters were taken. This outstanding Grecian building (1825–30), with its lonic colonnade and domed interior, was designed by Joseph Pitt. You may enter, as long as there is not a function on, and sample a glass of water.
Holst Birthplace Museum
4 Clarence Road, Pittville. Open Feb–mid-Dec Tue–Sat and bank hols 10am–4pm; also Sun 1.30–5pm Jul–Sept. £4.50. t01242 524 846. www.holstmuseum.org.uk.
Near the park entrance is the Regency house where Gustav Host, composer of The Planets, was born in 1874.
DEERHURSTa
7mi/11km N of Cheltenham via the A 4019, A 38 and a minor road W.
This tiny village possesses two important Anglo-Saxon buildings. Once part of a flourishing monastery, vestiges of St Mary’s Churcha (open daily 8.30am–dusk; j; t01684 292 562) date from the 8C, and it is typically Saxon.
Odda’s Chapel (EH; open year-round daily Apr–Oct 10am–6pm/Nov–Mar 4pm; closed 1 Jan, 25–26 Dec; õ; www.english-heritage.org.uk) was dedicated by Earl Odda in 1056 and consists of a nave and chancel, both of touching simplicity. It was rediscovered in the 19C, having served as the kitchen of the adjoining farmhouse.
TEWKESBURYa
8mi/13km N of Cheltenham on the A 4019 and A 38.
This little Saxon town is dominated by the great Norman abbey church. Tewkesbury grew little in the 19C and has conserved its historic character almost intact.
Tewkesbury Abbeyaa
Church Street. Open year-round Mon–Sat 8.30am (Sun, Wed, Fri 7.30am)–5.30pm/6pm Sun. Guided tours Easter–Oct Mon–Fri. £4. Tower tours (£3), call for details. jf. t01684 850 959. www.tewkesburyabbey.org.uk.
Once part of a wealthy and important Benedictine abbey, the church combines a noble simplicity of structure with great richness of detail, and many of the abbey’s important benefactors are buried here.
There are two survivals from monastic days – the Abbey House and the Gatehouse, just outside the precinct. At the Dissolution it was saved from demolition by the townsfolk. The most impressive elements are the huge 12C tower and the grandeur of the west front, with its recessed arch (65ft/20m high).
The Norman naveaa is covered by a beautiful 14C vault which replaced an earlier timber roof. The church’s many monuments are grouped around the choir. Bishop Wakeman is grotesquely commemorated by the memento mori, of a decomposing cadaver crawling with vermin. The 14C stained-glass windows of the choir depict local notables. The choir vaulta is a glorious web of ribs and bosses.
SUDELEY CASTLEa
Castle Street, Winchcombe. 7mi/11km NE of Cheltenham via the B 4632. Castle Street, Winchcombe. Open daily mid-Mar/Apr–Oct/early Nov 10.30am–5pm. £11. jõf. t01242 604 244. www.sudeleycastle.co.uk.
The house is surrounded by the dramatic scenery of the Cotswold escarpment. Once a medieval stronghold, it became the home of Katherine Parr, widow of Henry VIII. During the Civil War it was besieged and largely destroyed. In the 19C the house was restored, although some parts were left ruined. The collection includes Turner, Van Dyck and Rubens. The gardens are glorious, with the centrepiece Queens’ Garden billowing with hundreds of varieties of old-fashioned roses. The grounds also include St Mary’s Church, a rare breeds Pheasantry and adventure playground.
STROUD
The most westerly and least typical of the major Cotswold settlements, Stroud is the only one to have been affected significantly by the Industrial Revolution. Its interesting history can be traced in the Museum in the Park (Stratford Park; open Apr–Sept Tue–Fri, and Mon in Aug 10am–5pm, Sat–Sun and bank hol Mon 11am–5pm; Oct–Mar Tue–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat–Sun 11am–4pm, Dec call for details; closed Good Fri; jõf; t01453 763 394, www.museuminthepark.org.uk) housed in a 17C wool merchant’s mansion.
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridgea
15mi/24km SW of Gloucester. Open daily 9.30am–5.30pm (5pm Nov–Mar). £9.41. Canoe Safari daily Easter–Sept, Sat–Sun only autumn and some winter weekends 11am–4pm; £10.55. jõf. t01453 891 900. www.wwt.org.uk.
Bordering the extensive wetlands of the tidal Severn, this pioneering waterbird sanctuary, created by the late Sir Peter Scott, has acquired an international reputation for research and conservation and as a place where a great variety of native and exotic wildfowl can be observed from hides, observatories and a canoe safari at close quarters. Visitors can also enjoy the spectacular winter arrival of thousands of wild ducks, geese and swans.
Berkeley Castleaa
20mi/32km SW of Gloucester. Open Easter weekend, Apr & Oct Suns only, May–Sept Sun–Wed, 11am–5pm. Butterfly House open May–Sept. £9.50. õf. t01453 810 332. www.berkeley-castle.com.
This archetypal medieval stronghold commanded the narrow strip of lowland between the Cotswolds and the Severn; its defences could be strengthened by flooding the surrounding water meadows. The inner courtyard is dominated by the great drum of the keep of 1153. The interior is a confusion of twisting passages and stairways, vaulted cellars, ancient kitchens and deep dungeons.
In the King’s Gallery can be seen the chamber where the deposed Edward II was kept prisoner and then horribly murdered, possibly by agents of his former queen. Other rooms are richly furnished with reminders of the castle’s continuous occupation since the 12C. In the Butterfly House are hundreds of exotic and rare freeflying species.
Gloucester (pronounced “Gloster”) is a busy centre of administration, manufacturing and commerce, dominated by its glorious cathedral.
= Population: 114,003.
T Michelin Map: Michelin Atlas p 17 or Map 503 N 28.
i Info: 28 Southgate Street. t01452 396 572. www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk.
Ñ Location: 104mi/167km west of London and 47mi/76km north of Bath. The train (London Paddington 1hr 53 mins, Bath 1hr 20mins) and bus stations face each other, just off Bruton Way, a five-minute walk from the compact city centre. The docks are a short walk further on.
w Don’t Miss: Gloucester Cathedral; excursions to Berkeley Castle, Painswick and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge (Tsee opposite).
> Timing: Allow 3–4 hours.
/ Kids: The House of the Tailor of Gloucester.
CITY
City Centre
The point where the Roman streets intersect is marked by St Michael’s Tower. The late-medieval timber Bishop Hooper’s Lodginga in Westgate Street houses Gloucester Folk Museum (open year-round Tue–Sat 10am–5pm; £3 (inc. entry to City Museum); f; t01452 396 868; www.gloucester.gov.uk), where the lively exhibits include fishing on the Severn, toys, games and agricultural bygones. Nearby, just off Eastgate Street, is the recently renovated Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery (Brunswick Road; opening times, price and website as Folk Museum; f; t01452 396 868), where highlights include an Interactive Roman Kitchen exhibition, a toys and games gallery, and a garden gallery.
Gloucester Docksa
The fine 19C inland port and warehouses have been conserved. The Gloucester Waterways Museum (Llanthony Warehouse; open year-round daily 11am–4pm (Jul–Aug 10.30am–5pm); closed 1 Jan, 25–26 Dec; £4.95; boat trip (Easter–Oct) £5.50; combined ticket £10; jõ(charge) f; t01452 318 200; www.gloucesterwaterwaysmuseum.org.uk) explores the long history of river and canal navigation in Britain through models, displays, text panels, video simulations and a variety of historic vessels moored by the quay. Take a 45-minute boat trip on either the River Severn, or the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, complete with commentary by the captain.
/ House of the Tailor of Gloucester
Beatrix Potter Museum. 9 College Court, just off Westgate Street. Open Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–4pm. t01452 422 856. www.tailor-of-gloucester.org.uk.
The Tailor of Gloucester, published 1903, was Beatrix Potter’s personal favourite among her Peter Rabbit Books. In 1897, when on holiday here, she became fascinated by a local folk tale about John Pritchard, a tailor who had been commissioned to make a fine suit of clothes for the Mayor of Gloucester, and so the story was born. The shop, set in a lovely little alley, still exists today, selling a full range of Beatrix Potter merchandise alongside a small museum.
CATHEDRALaa
Cathedral: Open year-round daily 7.30am–6pm in term time (closed term time Mon–Fri 8.45– 9.15am for school assembly). £5 minimum contribution requested. Exhibition, Whispering Gallery, Treasury: Open Mon–Sat 10.30am–4pm (Sat 3.30pm). £2 (Treasury free). Guided tours Mon–Sat 10.45 am–3.15pm, Sun noon–2.30pm. Tower tours (269 steps) Apr–Oct Wed–Sat (also Mon–Tue during school hols) 2.30pm; additional 1.30pm tour Sat and bank hols. Tickets sold on day of tour on first-come first -served basis; arrive early as there are only 25 spaces. £4. jf. t01452 528 095. www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk.
The present structure is essentially the creation of the Norman Benedictine abbot, Serlo, and of his 14C successors, who pioneered the Perpendicular style and adorned the transepts and choir using funds provided by royal patronage, or by pilgrims visiting the tomb of Edward II, who was murdered in 1327 at nearby Berkeley Castle (Tsee Cotswolds, p274). The building was extended in the 15C by the addition of the Lady Chapel.
Massive Norman columns, reddened at the base by a fire in 1122, give an impression of enormous strength, while Perpendicular elegance prevails in the exquisite tracery of the high vault (92ft/28m), the east window – the largest of its kind in medieval glass, commemorating the Battle of Crécy – and in the wonderfully light Lady Chapel c.1500.
Edward’s effigy, north of the choir, is protected by a 14C stonework canopy of rare delicacy. The Cloisters (which have featured in three Harry Potter films) contain the lavatorium where the monks washed their hands at the entrance to the refectory; the 14C fan vaulting, the earliest of its kind, is exceptionally rich. The mid-15C tower (225ft/69m), with its unmistakable crown of parapet and pinnacles, rises gracefully above College Green, a pleasant combination of mainly 18C houses, replacements of earlier monastic buildings. St Mary’s Gate is an impressive medieval survival.
The village of Minsterworth (4mi/ 6.5km W of Gloucester by the the A 40 and A 48) is a good place from which to observe the phenomenon known as the Severn Bore, a roaring wall of water (up to 6ft/2m high) advancing up the Severn estuary, which occurs most vigorously at the time of the equinoxes.
EXCURSIONS
Tetbury/Westonbirt (The National Arboretum)a
Ñ Tetbury. 22mi/35km S of Gloucester via the A 38 and A 4135. i 33 Church Street. www.visittetbury.co.uk. www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt.
The road passes through Tetbury, an elegant Cotswold town, built of silver-grey stone round a quaint Market House (1655) and St Mary’s Church, a refined 18C interpretation of medieval motifs.
Take the A 433 3mi/5km southwest to reach the Westonbirt (The National Arboretum), first planted in 1829 (open Apr–Nov Mon–Fri 9am–8pm/dusk, Sat–Sun 8am–8pm/dusk; Dec–Mar Mon–Fri 9am–5pm/dusk, Sat–Sun 8am–5pm/dusk. guided walks Easter–Oct Sat–Sun 2pm, midweek walks details posted on site; visitor centre closed Christmas week; £6–£9. j(£5). f; t01666 880 220). This important plant collection has grown steadily over the last 180 years to comprise some 14,000 trees and shrubs from all over the world. There are many miles of signed walks and an attractive visitor centre. Some trees here are the largest of their kind in Britain. The many types of maple guarantee a spectacular show in autumn.
Painswicka
The streets of this beautiful little hilltop village contain many old buildings of golden Cotswold stone. The elaborate Baroque tombstones in the parish churchyard are accompanied by 99 clipped yew trees.
On the outskirts of the village (take the B 4073) is the Painswick Rococo Garden (open second wk Jan–Oct daily 11am–5pm; £6.50; õ;t01452 813 204, www.rococogarden.org.uk). Originally laid out in the early-18C, and set in a hidden valley, it boasts magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
„ STAY
CHILTERN HILLS
q–^ The Nag’s Head – London Road, Great Missenden. t01494 862 200. www.nagsheadbucks.com. 7 rms. This delightful characterful award-winning 15C contemporary-styled pub serves excellent Anglo-French food (q–^).
OXFORD
w A large number of B&Bs can be found on Banbury Road, Iffley Road and Abingdon Road.
^ Burlington House – 374 Banbury Road. t01865 513 513. 12 rms. www.burlington-hotel-oxford.co.uk. This Victorian merchant’s house, dating from 1889, a 10-minute ride from town, has been beautifully renovated into a luxurious boutique-style B&B.
_ Old Parsonage – 1 Banbury Road. t01865 310 210. www.oldparsonage-hotel.co.uk. 30rms. This small luxurious 17C boutique hotel is just a five-minute walk from town. The atmosphere is calm, almost rural, but also chic and clubby. Live jazz and summer barbecues in the beautiful garden.
COTSWOLDS
^ The Old Manse Hotel – Victoria Street, Bourton-on-the-Water. t01451 820 082, 0845 608 6040 (reservations). www.oldmansehotel.com. 15 rms. Dating from 1748, the recently refurbished Old Manse encompasses traditional Cotswold charm and has a lovely riverside location.
_ Lamb Inn – Sheep Street, Burford. t01993 823 155. 15 rms. www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk. This charming quintessential (14C) Cotswold inn with antique furnished bedrooms, gourmet restaurant (_) and pub bar with summer terrace and log fires is one of the most prestigious places to stay in the region.
CHELTENHAM
^ Mercure Queen’s Hotel – The Promenade. t01242 514 754. www.mercure.com/cheltenham-queens. 79 rms. Set behind large white Neoclassical colonnades, this beautiful Regency four-star hotel has the perfect location in the heart of the city, overlooking the Imperial Gardens and Promenade. Contemporary British cuisine and grills in the hotel’s Napier restaurant (^).
ƒ EAT
OXFORD
. Vaults & Garden – Radcliff Square. t01865 279 112. www.vaultsandgarden.com. Open 8.30am–6.30pm. On Radcliffe Square, dine in either in the vaults of the university’s Old Congregation House, or alfresco surrounded by architectural treasures, flowers and aromatic herbs. All day eating using seasonal produce from organic producers. Excellent value.
q Quod – Old Bank Hotel, 91–94 High Street. t01865 799 599. www.oldbank-hotel.co.uk. Set in the boutique-style Old Bank Hotel – voted ‘UK city hotel of the year’ in 2011 (_) – this Modern British/European bistro is one of the trendiest places in Oxford. Dine alfresco in good weather.
q Cherwell Boathouse – Bardwell Road. t01865 552 746. www.cherwellboathouse.co.uk. Dine on simple Modern English dishes (desserts a speciality) at this charming riverside restaurant while watching the punts go by. Lovely summer terrace.
COTSWOLDS
^ The Porch House – Digbeth Street, Park Street, Stow-on-the-Wold. t01451 870 048. www.theroyalisthotel.com. (12 rms. ^) Thought to be the oldest inn in England this newly refurbished historic pub serves top quality locally sourced Modern British food.
q Rose Tree – Riverside, Bourton-on-the-Water. t01451 820 635. Classic British dishes and simple continental favourites, all cooked well, have made this a favourite with visitors.
^ Eight Bells Inn –Church Street, Chipping Campden. t01386 840 371. www.eightbellsinn.co.uk. This 14C inn features exposed beams, log fires, secret passages, a summer terrace and Modern British cuisine.
