Hidden Cotswold Tour 17th August 2023
My communications with Bob in the run-up to the tour had not been detailed. All I knew was that I was to meet them in Cheltenham on Friday morning. Fortunately we made contact late on Thursday evening. With this information I turned up at the Cotswold Grange in Cheltenham to meet Bob, Patty, Lindsey, Linda and Steve.
Sudeley Castle
I thought that our first stop should be Sudeley Castle. I slightly misjudged the timing as the house does not open until 11. We were there at 10.15. But I think they welcomed the opportunity for a coffee and pastry since they had just got off a train from Bath.
The weather was good, giving time to wander the gardens and then the house.
With Royal connections spanning a thousand years, Sudeley Castle has played an important role in the turbulent and changing times of England’s past.
Today Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a Queen buried within the grounds.
Stanway and Stanton
From Sudeley it was a short journey to Stanway to look at the Jacobean Manor and the Church of St Peter.
Poor Lindsey being the youngest and nimblest of the group had the problem of being in the back seat. But, with never a word of complaint, she, effortlessly, jumped in and out at every stop!
The next village was Stanton, one of many with a claim to be the prettiest village. A little loop up and round the Mount Inn Pub with a photo opportunity before heading towards Broadway.
I can find no reference to the Star of David on the font. I can only assume that this and other carvings are acknowledgements to other faiths.
Stanway House is an outstanding example of an English Jacobean manor house; built of mellow Cotswold limestone between 1580 and 1640.
Stanton is probably one of the prettiest and idyllic villages in the whole of the Cotswolds. Little changed in 300 years it nestles beneath the slopes of Shenbarrow Hill. It has a very pleasing long main street with several delightful corners where the ancient house are built in typical Cotswolds style with steeply pitched gables, mullioned windows and glowing honey coloured limestone walls.
Broadway Tower and Broadway
Broadway was very busy and after a couple of drives up and down the high street we decided to pass on getting out and drive on.
Driving up the steep hill that is Fish Hill, I took them to Broadway Tower. The weather was good and it was an ideal opportunity to walk around the grounds, admire the view and to stretch legs.
Built in 1799, Broadway Tower is a perfect example of an eighteenth century Gothic folly from which it is possible to survey an area which includes as many as thirteen counties.
It was built for Lady Coventry to see if she could see it from her home some distance away. She could, but never visited it!
Chipping Campden
Once in Chipping Campden, it was time to find somewhere for lunch. After some deliberation we plumped for the Red Lion and found a table in the garden.
The lunch was very good, and thank you very much for treating me.
After lunch, I left them to wander up the high street on their own and agreed to meet by the turning to the church. Here we wandered around the large ‘Wool Church’ of St James.
Chipping Campden is one of the loveliest small towns in the Cotswolds and a gilded masterpiece of limestone and craftsmanship. The main street curves in a shallow arc lined with a succession of ancient houses each grafted to the next but each with its own distinctive embellishments.
Donnington Brewery
Once we were all back in the car we pushed on to the picturesque and tranquil setting of Donnington Brewery.
Also, another brief chance for Lindsey to stretch her legs before heading up the hill and into Stow-on-the-Wold.
Here we strolled around the town visiting the ‘Doors of Durin’ and the Oldest Inn in the country. There are a few in the Cotswolds with this claim!
Some of the brewery’s buildings date from 1291.
Like many mills in the Cotswolds, where the wool trade was so dominant, the one at Donnington probably started life as a cloth mill. However, in about 1580, it was rebuilt by the Lord of the Manor of Donnington and used for milling corn.
Today, the mill wheel is still used to drive pumps and machinery to brew our beer the same way 150 years on.
Upper Slaughter
Next stop was Upper Slaughter and we all got out to visit the small church of St Peter and then to walk the loop past the ford and back to the car.
We drove very slowly through Lower Slaughter, where I pointed out the Mill that was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Our final town was Bourton-on-the-Water which I had not been ‘selling’ well! We didn’t stop but just drove through, very slowly.
Upper and Lower Slaughter – the slightly macabre name comes from the Anglo/Saxon word for marsh. Lower Slaughter Mill is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Upper Slaughter is equally attractive – and one of only 14 Double-Thankful villages in England, villages that lost no men during either World War I or II. The villages are are linked by the gently flowing River Eye.
Route
It was a great day out with all of you and it was a real pleasure to spend the day with you.
The trip raised some questions. One being the Pacific Yew which is found in the Pacific Northwest only. Whilst all are deadly poisonous they have a chemical used in the treatment of cancer. So, life giving as well!
With regard to the position of the pulpit I have discovered that there is no formal requirement to be on either side. – In the post-Reformation Church of England, the Royal Injunctions of 1547 and 1559 demanded only that churchwardens provide “a comely and honest pulpit to be set up in a convenient place”.
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