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| The Cotswolds and Environs
An area of outstanding beauty, the Cotswolds offers a wide range of leisure pursuits and scenic attractions. For those wishing to use Tetbury as their centre, there is so much on offer with easy driving from Somerset and Wiltshire to the south, to Warwickshire and Shakespeare country to the north.
Lodge Farm is 1½ miles North-West of Tetbury, opposite The Elizabethan mansion, Chavenage House Antique & Book Collectors For antique collectors, Lodge Farm is the ideal base. You are right at the heart of a wealth of antique shops. As well as Tetbury itself try Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham and Bath. For book collectors, take a day out to the antiquarian centre of the world (yes, it's true) at Hay-on-Wye near the Welsh border. On your return from a good day's sightseeing, you have the comfort of Lodge Farm to welcome you back.
The village of Tetbury is seen by many as the entrance to the Cotswolds and is most convenient as a touring centre for the whole region. Among the many pretty Cotswold towns and villages, Tetbury stands out as being unique in its appeal. Set in the unrivalled beauty of green protected countryside can be found one of England's greatest concentrations of protected buildings. A walk through the centre of the town follows a route in use for over 800 years, lined with Cotswold stone buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
In pre-historic times Tetbury was the site of a hill-fort later taken over by the Romans. The first written record of Tetbury is in 681, referring to the well-established Saxon monastery. During the Middle Ages its prosperity grew as it developed as a centre for Cotswold wool and became one of the best wool and yarn markets in the country. A detailed knowledge of Tetbury's history is not however, necessary to appreciate its appeal. Its charm lies simply in the fact that it reflects a chapter in history of both the Cotswolds and England - evident to all who have the time to wander its ancient streets and lanes or country footpaths.
Places of interest The Parish Church Built by Francis Hiorn between 1777 and 1781, the church has recently been described by an English Heritage Building Inspector as "the best Georgian Gothic church I have ever seen." Extensive restoration work has restored the interior to its original 18th century line. The spire is the fourth highest in England. The main Sunday service is 10.00am Parish Communion, with Holy Communion at 8.00am and Evensong at 6.00pm. The Market House Built in 1655, the Market House is one of the finest examples of a Cotswold pillared market house and is still in regular use as a meeting place and market. Wednesday is market day with antique stalls in the oak-beamed meeting hall and general stalls at street level. It houses the WI market on Friday mornings and regular antique markets.
Chipping Steps The Chipping (meaning market) was for centuries the site for the "Mop Fairs" where farmhands and domestic staff offered themselves for employment. Many of the surrounding buildings have medieval origins. In the North-East corner, the steep cobbled steps and weavers' cottages retain a delightful medieval atmosphere. Gumstool Hill One of Tetbury's most ancient streets, now famous for the annual Woolsack Races. Legend has it that the bottom of the hill was a pool where scolding wives or other miscreants were tied to a ducking stool or "gumstool" and ducked under water as punishment. Royal Houses Highgrove House, the country home of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, is 1½ miles South-West of Tetbury. Gatcombe Park, the home of HRH The Princess Royal, is 4 miles north of Tetbury. Slightly further north, at Nether Lypiatt Manor, is the country home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Westonbirt Arboretum Westonbirt Aboretum situated three and a half miles outside Tetbury contains one of the finest and most important collections of trees and shrubs in the world. There are 18,000 of them, planted from 1829 to the present day, covering some 600 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Visitors to Westonbirt can wander where they please along 17 miles of waymarked trails and admire some of the tallest, oldest and indeed rarest trees and shrubs of their kind in the world. | ||
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Nicky & Robin Salmon, E-mail us or alternatively call 01666 505339 for availability and prices |
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