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Cotswold Homes P U B L I C AT I O N
Your Guide to
THE NORTH COTSWOLDS
Part Two C H E LT E N H A M WINCHCOMBE B R O A DWAY CHIPPING NORTON BURFORD N O RT H L E AC H
7903 Foremarke Hall steam locomotive in Winchcombe countryside
Welcome
To a New Perspective on the North Cotswolds In the second of our special guides, we take a sky-high look at some of the best-known centres in the Cotswolds - Broadway, Cheltenham, Burford, Winchcombe, Northleach and Chipping Norton. It’s a whole new way of seeing the towns and villages that many of us are familiar with, and a reminder that here, even the most developed of places remain encircled by gorgeous countryside. Over the next few pages, we explore what distinguishes each of these locations from the rest, while listing the travel links and amenities essential to every resident. But the information printed in this limited-edition publication is just a taster of what we’ve gathered. Head to cotswold-homes.com
and you’ll find a wealth of local knowledge about the North Cotswolds - from its major centres and iconic villages through to its quaintest hamlets. Our Interactive Map gives you a birds-eye view of the North Cotswolds. It allows you to easily locate villages, new properties, businesses and events - and read articles associated with each area. Navigate your way around the map’s hotspots and you’re sure to discover just what makes the North Cotswolds unique. Visit www.cotswold-homes.com/explore-the-area/ to start your journey.
Cotswold Homes Magazine To speak to a member of our team, please telephone 01608 651000 or email: Editor’s Desk: matt@cotswold-homes.com Marketing & Sales: keelin@cotswold-homes.com Website & Admin: rachel@cotswold-homes.com Location Photography: rs@vortexcontent.co.uk
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EXPLORE THE NORTH COTSWOLDS with our INTERACTIVE MAP There’s so much to love about the Cotswolds. Now you can get a whole new perspective on the area with cotswold-homes.com’s interactive map. Learn more about our beautiful towns and villages, locate the best new properties, discover exciting new events and lose yourself in our editorial features. With new properties, articles and events added daily, our map is a unique way of staying informed about all that’s going on in the Cotswolds. What’s more, our SHOWCASE section pinpoints the businesses and attractions that really make the area special. Head to www.cotswold-homes.com/explore-the-area/ to try it out.
VILLAGES: Information on towns and villages across the North Cotswolds
PROPERTY: Properties for sale and to let
ARTICLES: A wealth of interesting features and interviews
WHAT’S ON: Local news interest, events and competitions
SHOWCASE: The beating heart of our
community
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INTERACTIVE MAP
VILLAGES: Information on towns and villages across the North Cotswolds The splendid regency spa town of Cheltenham once attracted gentry from around the country ... WHAT'S ON
Beowulf at The Everyman Studio Theatre, Cheltenham Cheltenham Wine Festival LOCAL ARTICLES
Big Boost for Cheltenham Icons Down on the farm - watts happening with battery storage?
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CHELTENHAM Regency splendour, cultural festivals and sporting excellence make Cheltenham a national treasure
The handsome regency town of Cheltenham once attracted gentry from around the country to its fine mineral spas. These days, Cheltenham is better known for Cheltenham Jockey Club Racecourse (where The Festival, The November Meeting and The International jump races are held annually) and its superb annual festivals (The Cheltenham Literature, Science, Music and Jazz Festivals) - though the town’s beautiful architecture stands as testament to its heritage (most notably the Pittville Pump Room found close to the racecourse, in the restful and scenic Pittville Park). Today Cheltenham is a town of international importance, as it hosts the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in what is colloquially known as ‘The Doughnut’ - a distinctive circular building located to the west of the town.
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CHELTENHAM
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In 2014, Cheltenham was named the best place to raise a family (out of a shortlist of 20) by The Daily Telegraph.
Travel Links
Things To Do & Amenities
Cheltenham’s train station and Royal Well coach stop ensure that town-dwellers are well-connected to the rest of the country. Situated between Gloucester and Cheltenham, the M5 offers downward travel to Bristol and Exeter and heads north to Birmingham.
Cheltenham residents and day visitors enjoy a generous range of boutiques, High Street shops, restaurants and amenities. There are three theatres (the Everyman, the Bacon, the Playhouse and the Parabola Arts Centre), a cinema and a number of cultural attractions, including the Holst Birthplace Museum, where the famous composer Gustav Holst (best known for ‘The Planets’) was born in 1874. It is one of only two composer birthplace museums in the country. The Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum (also called ‘The Wilson’) was extended and re-opened in 2013, and showcases a fine collection of Arts and Crafts objects. Cheltenham also possesses a pleasant public Lido - the Sandford Parks Lido located close to the centre of town.
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The many attractions of Cheltenham, as well as its proximity to more bucolic Cotswold countryside, (and its assortment of quality schools, including Cheltenham Ladies’ College) makes it a desirable place to live - or neighbour. In 2014, Cheltenham was named the best place to raise a family (out of a shortlist of 20) by The Daily Telegraph.
Schools There are a number of academic institutions in the Cheltenham area, including (but not limited to): Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Cheltenham College Preparatory School, St. Edward’s School, Balcarras Academy, Dean Close School, Pate’s Grammar School, and Cleeve School. Primaries include St. John’s Church of England Primary School, the Holy Trinity Primary School, Greatfield Park Primary School and the Holy Apostles Church of England Primary School. The University of Gloucestershire is based in Cheltenham (with other campuses set in neighbouring Gloucester).
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WINCHCOMBE Royal prestige distinguishes historic Winchcombe from its wool-wealthy neighbours
All the things that made Winchcombe what it is today (its splendid Abbey, its tobacco production, the wool trade) are long gone - even the Abbey demolished, knocked flat following Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. What remains is a distinctive and uniquely interesting Cotswold town. Surrounded with truly sumptuous countryside, it capitalises on its own unique history while providing all the usual Cotswold pleasures. A simple stroll through Winchcombe demonstrates the wealth and importance it has held over the years - ever since the days Winchcombe was an important city in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia.
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Travel Links Winchcombe is well placed for travelling to three interesting towns. Cheltenham is only a 20 minute drive away (with Cheltenham Racecourse only around fifteen minutes). The historic town of Tewkesbury is only a 20-25 minute drive. Evesham is around twenty minutes to the north. A number of Cotswold villages - including Bourton on the Water, Chipping Campden, Stow on the Wold and Moreton in Marsh - lie within a short drive east.
Things To Do & Amenities Belas Knap, a Neolithic barrow situated on a nearby hill shows exactly how long people have been living here - since 3800 BC at least - while offering fantastic views. The ruins of Hailes Abbey - once Winchcombe Abbey’s rival - have weathered rather better than its illustrious rival, now forming a visitable site managed by the National Trust. The well-preserved Jacobean manor, Stanway House - and its astonishingly
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The ruins of Hailes Abbey once Winchcombe Abbey’s rival - have weathered rather better than its illustrious rival, now forming a visitable site managed by the National Trust.
‘tall’ gravity fountain - are close at hand. And no visit to Winchcombe is complete without calling in at Sudeley Castle, the burial site of Henry VIII’s last wife, Queen Katherine Parr. Winchcombe is very well placed for ramblers, walkers and strollers, offering access to the Cotswold Way, the Wardens Way, the Gloucestershire Way – and now also the Winchcombe Way. The GWSR steam railway (which stops at Winchcombe, on its way to Cheltenham Racecourse from Toddington) is a fascinating heritage railway - well worth a visit. The town hosts a Music & Arts Festival in May and a Christmas Festival in December. The town provides plenty of restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as all the usual town amenities.
Schools Winchcombe School offers secondary education while Winchcombe Abbey C of E Primary School accepts local primaryage children.
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BROADWAY A postcard-perfect village, once favoured by the nation’s greatest artists, thinkers and writers
The picturesque village of Broadway - so known for the ‘broad way’ of its main street - is rightly known as one of the most attractive Cotswold villages. Archaelogical digs suggest that the area has been inhabited for around 5,000 years, but it’s the village’s former role as a stagecoach stop on the Worcester-London route and the boom years of the wool trade that has shaped the village as it is known today (there were once as many as 33 inns thriving on the volume of passing traffic). After the introduction of Evesham railway station in 1852, Broadway’s role as a coach stop came to an end. The sense of rural remove this change created attracted many significant visitors from the world of the arts, including composer Edward Elgar, Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, painter John Singer Sargent, Arts and Crafts designer/intellectual William Morris and the American writer Francis Davis Millet (who later died in the sinking of the Titanic). Broadway’s association with the Arts and Crafts movement has helped it flourish into one of the more ‘artistic’ Cotswold villages, hosting thriving galleries, a regularly-held arts festival and even its own Ashmolean Museum. Since the invention of the motor car, visitors have been drawn from all over the country (and latterly, the world) to see Broadway’s well-preserved beauty.
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Whilst visiting the tower you can walk up to the top to admire the views and learn its history on the way up (or down) with each floor dedicated to an era in the building’s past. Things To Do & Amenities There is plenty to see and do in Broadway, its main draw being the beautiful High Street which is full of shops and boutiques perfect for an afternoon’s browsing. There are also two museums in the village (the Gordon Russell Museum and the Broadway Museum & Art Gallery) as well as an array of art galleries. The iconic Broadway Tower presides over the area. Designed by Capability Brown and architect James Wyatt, the tower was built in the late 1700s and has had many uses over the centuries. It was once home to the printing press of Sir Thomas Phillips, a holiday retreat for artist William Morris, and most notably as a unique vantage point to track enemy planes over England during both World Wars. Whilst visiting the tower you can walk up to the top to admire the views and learn its history on the way up (or down) with each floor dedicated to an era in the building’s past. You can also visit the nuclear bunker on site and learn how
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it was used to protect Britain from the nuclear fallout of the Cold War during the 1980s, see the red deer raised on site and stop for a respite in the on-site café. Broadway is a large village with an abundance of amenities including a Warner’s Budgens supermarket, a doctor’s surgery, adventure play park and golf club. There are also four churches in the village – the C of E churches of St Michael’s and all Angels and St Eadburgha’s, Saint Saviour’s Catholic Church and the Broadway United Reformed Church. There is also the Lifford Hall (the village hall) which was originally built in about 1916 as a private theatre and given to the village in 1928. The hall is available for private hire and often hosts parties, plays and exercise classes. There are plenty of places to grab a drink or a bite to eat in the village. For a drink, try the Horse and Hound or the Crown and Trumpet, the latter of which is renowned for its great selection of real ales; both do also offer food and rooms.
For dinner, check out the Swan Inn or Russells, or for an Italian twist there is the Number 32 restaurant. For the perfect place to hit the hay, there is the Broadway Hotel or the newly refurbished Lygon Arms; or for that special rural retreat then there is the nearby Farncombe Estate, home to the Dormy House Hotel, The Fish Hotel and Foxhill Manor.
Schools There are two first schools in the village – St Mary’s Roman Catholic School and Broadway First School.
Transport Links Broadway is located just off the A44, within reach of both the M5 and the M40. The nearby railway stations of Evesham and Moreton in Marsh provide direct access to both Oxford and London, as well as Worcester, Great Malvern and Hereford. Plans are also on course for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway to run trains to the village from March 2018.
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CHIPPING NORTON Independent shops and a fantastic homegrown theatre set Chippy apart from the rest
A vibrant North Cotswold market town (the name in fact meaning ‘market North town’) with some distinctive attractions, Chipping Norton is the Cotswolds at its most cosmopolitan. Possessing a theatre and several well-known pubs and hotels, it also hosts a popular bookstore and, in recent years, has started its own acclaimed literature festival, as well as running music and Jazz and Music Festivals. The Rollright Stones - a stone circle found just over two miles away from the town - suggests that people have been living in the Chipping Norton area for thousands of years. As with much of the Cotswolds, many civic and residential buildings stand testament to the wealth brought to the area by the wool trade. At one time, Chipping Norton even possessed its own railway station (the nearest today is Kingham) and - much later - a recording studio, where a number of hit singles were recorded (by artists including the Bay City Rollers and Kajagoogoo). Chipping Norton’s iconic, Grade II listed Bliss Tweed Mill building (built in 1872, and featuring a distinctive column-style chimney) has been converted to residential apartments. 20
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Travel Links Chipping Norton is only a 40 minute drive from Oxford via the A44. The nearest train station (Kingham, offering regular direct line trains to Oxford and London Paddington) is a 12 minute drive. Moreton in Marsh, also with its own train station, is only 15 minutes away. Stow on the Wold can also be reached within 15 minutes, while Bourton on the Water will take approximately 25 minutes to reach.
Things To Do & Amenities The Theatre Chipping Norton is nationally acclaimed. Its rave-reviewed Christmas pantomimes draw audiences from around the country, while its home-produced shows are also inventive and entertaining (it also regularly shows recently-released films).
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The Jaffe & Neale Bookshop and Cafe is a much-loved local independent book store on two floors, allowing bookworms to browse in peace or meet a friend for coffee and (delicious!) homemade cake.
The Chipping Norton Literary Fesival is usually held each April, bringing a variety of high-profile authors and other guests to town. The Jaffe & Neale Bookshop and Cafe is a much-loved local independent book store on two floors, allowing bookworms to browse in peace or meet a friend for coffee and (delicious!) homemade cake. The town also hosts a variety of independent shops and businesses, in addition to Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Aldi supermarkets, plus a number of good pubs, hotels and restaurants.
Schools Most local secondary-age schoolchildren attend the Chipping Norton School. The nearby Kingham Hill School is a boarding school that accepts children aged 11-18. Holy Trinity Catholic School and St Mary’s C of E School provide primary education.
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BURFORD A stone’s throw from magnificent Oxford, Burford has pleasures all of its own
Like Broadway, Burford is often described as the ‘Gateway to the Cotswolds.’ And indeed Burford itself perfectly illustrates the historic wealth and importance of the North Cotswolds, not least with its arcitecture and attractive church (listed by Simon Jenkins amongst his top twenty in England’s Thousand Best Churches). Burford’s church’s lavish Victorian restoration was responsible for inspiring the famous architect William Morris to set up his Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings - and, more dramatically, was also once the epicentre of great political turmoil when, during the Civil War, it became an overnight prison for more than three hundred rebel soldiers incarcerated by Cromwell. (Despite his promise to negotiate peacefully with the Burford Levellers, the three leaders were summarily shot at dawn against the church walls). By the Victorian era a double-fronted building was erected at the upper end of Burford’s impressive high street, resplendent with mullioned windows and an arched central double doorway, serving as Magistrates’ Court, police station and jail for one hundred years before finally becoming redundant in the 1970s. This fine building jostles for position today with equally imposing properties from several centuries, some dating back to Tudor times, all tightly packed along the steep hill of Burford’s High Street, the glorious stars of a remarkably attractive town. Burford’s row of shops and restaurants reveal the same on-going legacy of wealthy investment. 24
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Travel Links Burford is only 35 minutes from Oxford, via the A40. It’s also well-situated for exploring the North Cotswolds, with the area’s best-known centres - Stow on the Wold, Bourton on the Water and Moreton in Marsh - within easy reach.
Things To Do & Amenities An unsurprising tourist hotspot, Burford is also a regular go-to destination for many of the residents in surrounding villages, particularly given that the Burford Garden Company is but a mile up the hill. Stacked high with gorgeous goods, this luxurious emporium offers everything for house and garden including traditional children’s toys, books, artwork, soft furnishings and ceramics, complete with a food hall full of epicurean delights and locally sourced products also served from its popular café. Another regular great day out for local residents and an absolute rite of passage for all Cotswold children is the renowned Cotswold Wildlife Park. Set amongst stunning landscaped grounds (further outfitted with an adventure playground and miniature train to entertain the little
ones) you can discover what often feels like the whole of the animal kingdom here: giraffes and rhinos, camels, zebras and monkeys, owls, bats, snakes and penguins, flamingos and tapirs. This town is a rare treat - independent teahouses and ancient inns, galleries of antiques, paintings and exquisite furniture, a wonderful delicatessen, traditional grocery, bakery and butcher, a mildly eccentric but delightful hat / book store and various dress shops. Full of individuality and character, the spirit of William Morris lives on in Burford - truly there is nothing to see here that is ‘not useful or beautiful.’ For a first visit, the Chamber of Commerce has a particularly good website illustrating its many attractions, as does the Town Council website.
Another regular great day out for local residents and an absolute rite of passage for all Cotswold children is the renowned Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Schools Burford is particularly suited to affluent family life. Of note, Burford School has an illustrious history and a rare facility. An Elizabethan boys’ grammar set up in 1571 by a group of local merchants, coeducation of the sexes was only welcome when it became a comprehensive state school in the 1950s. The school moved to its present site amongst rolling acres at the top of Burford in the 1960s but the original historic building in the centre of the town continues as a boarding house to this day. Being a boarding school, it presents an ideal solution for families where work involves frequent travel, thereby overcoming the challenge of achieving high standards and continuity in the children’s education.
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NORTHLEACH A spirited crossroads town that’s become one of the best places to unwind
Despite being smaller than some Cotswold villages, Northleach is a town. And like many Cotswold towns, the wool trade was an important part of its history. Northleach was so named because it was built north of the ‘Lecce’ - the Saxon word for ‘stream’. Between the 1300s and 1500s, wool from the Cotswold Lion sheep was exported to Europe. Wool made the Cotswolds - and the Crown - prosperous, until the decline of the industry. But with the invention of the motor car the Cotswolds benefitted greatly from tourism, as holidaymakers flocked to see the limestone cottages and scenic countryside of the area. Among the prosperous woolmen of Northleach were John Tayler, William Midwinter and Thomas and John Fortey. They spent their wealth on the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, furnishing and improving it so finely that it is sometimes called the Cathedral of the Cotswolds. Brasses in the church honour their contributions. The church remains well known for its ‘Perpendicular style’ - a style matched by other Cotswold churches, including Cirencester’s. Asides from the church, Northleach’s other most distinctive building is The Old Prison - an house of correction built in the 1790s. Many features endure from its original construction.
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Things To Do & Amenities The Mechanical Music Museum - a prestigious collection of music-making machines - is a rare delight. It’s open throughout the week with the last tour at 4pm. The Church of St. Peter & St. Paul is one of the most beautiful of the Perpendicular wool churches in the Cotswolds - its south porch and striking windows must be seen. Visit the website at northleach.org to find out more about its history. You can also visit The Old Prison - now been lovingly restored to provide a family café and museum. Hosting different exhibitions on throughout the year, it’s an interesting place to drop by. Don’t miss the Annual Northleach Charter Fair and Music Festival. It’s a tradition nearly 800 years old, dating back to 1227 - when King Henry III granted the town of Northleach a Charter allowing a weekly market and an annual fair. The Charter Fair takes place on the last Saturday of June (the closest weekend to the feast day of St Peter and St Paul).
There’s also still a market in this old market town, which you can visit every Wednesday for produce sourced from local farms. Northleach boasts a number of pubs and inns, including the Wheatsheaf, the Northleach Wine Company, the Sherborne Arms and the Red Lion Inn. As well as the market, there also is a thriving butcher’s, bakery, pharmacy and convenience store.
Schools Northleach is served by the local C of E Primary School. In addiiton, the Northleach Playgroup is open to children between 2.5 years old and school age. Children of secondary age often attend the highly-ranked The Cotswold School in nearby Bourton on the Water.
Celebrity Spotting J.K Rowling’s first adult fiction novel, The Casual Vacancy, was set in the Cotswolds. The televised adaptation was filmed in Northleach and other Cotswold towns.
Don’t miss the Annual Northleach Charter Fair and Music Festival. It’s a tradition nearly 800 years old, dating back to 1227 - when King Henry III granted the town of Northleach a Charter allowing a weekly market and an annual fair.
Transport Links Situated next to the A429, Northleach is excellently situated for travel. The A40 with direct access to Oxford (28.5 miles) and on to London by car is an easy and essential route used by commuters daily. There are 21 local bus services to and from Northleach giving easy access to Oxford, Cheltenham, Cirencester and Bourton on the Water. Train links to mainline Oxford – London Paddington are located in Kingham (13.4 miles) or Kemble station (15.6 miles). Northleach is only a short distance from the most ‘iconic’ North Cotswold villages Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold.
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