| Cotswolds | |
|---|---|
 Castle Combe, a Cotswolds village with buildings made of Cotswold stone | |
 Location of the Cotswolds National Landscape within England | |
| Location | England |
| Coordinates | 51°48′N2°2′W / 51.800°N 2.033°W /51.800; -2.033 |
| Area | 2,038 km2 (787 sq mi) |
| Established | 1966 |
| Named for | cot +wold, 'sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides' |
| Website | cotswolds-nl |
TheCotswolds (/ˈkɒtswoʊldz,ˈkɒtswəldz/KOTS-wohldz,KOTS-wəldz)[1] is a region of South West, South Central England and West Midlands. Along a range ofwolds or rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upperRiver Thames to anescarpment above theSevern Valley and the Vale ofEvesham. The area is defined by thebedrock ofJurassiclimestone that creates a type ofgrassland habitat that isquarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone.[2] It lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainlyGloucestershire andOxfordshire, and parts ofWiltshire,Somerset,Worcestershire, andWarwickshire. The highest point isCleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m),[3] just east ofCheltenham. The predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, towns, stately homes and gardens featuring the local stone.
A large area within the Cotswolds has been designated as aNational Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB) since 1966.[4] The designation covers 787 square miles (2,038 km2), with boundaries roughly 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (140 km) long, stretching south-west from just south ofStratford-upon-Avon to just south ofBath, making it the largest National Landscape area and England's third-largest protected landscape.[5][6]
TheCotswold local government district is within Gloucestershire. Its main town isCirencester.[7] In 2021, the population of the 450-square-mile (1,200 km2) district was 91,000.[8][9] The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km2).[10][11] The population of the National Landscape area was 139,000 in 2016.[12]
The largest excavation ofJurassic periodechinodermfossils, including of rare and previously unknown species, occurred at aquarry in the Cotswolds in 2021.[13][14] There is evidence ofNeolithic settlement from burial chambers on Cotswold Edge, and there are remains of Bronze and Iron Age forts.[15][16] Later the Romans built villas, such as atChedworth,[17] and settlements such as Gloucester, and paved the Celtic path later known asFosse Way.[18]
During theMiddle Ages, thanks to the breed ofsheep known as theCotswold Lion, the Cotswolds became prosperous from the wool trade with the continent, with much of the money made from wool directed towards the building of churches. The most successful era for the wool trade was 1250–1350; much of the wool at that time was sold to Italian merchants. The area still preserves numerous large, handsome Cotswold Stone "wool churches". The affluent area in the 21st century has attracted wealthy Londoners and others who own second homes there or have chosen to retire to the Cotswolds.[11]
The nameCotswold is popularly believed to mean the "sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides",[19][20] incorporating the termwold, meaning "forested hills", from theAnglian dialect term ofOld English[21][22] —cognate withthe Weald, "forest", from theWest Saxon dialect term of Old English.[23][24] But for many years theEnglish Place-Name Society has accepted that the termCotswold is derived fromCodesuualt of the 12th century or other variations on this form, the etymology of which is "Cod's-wold", meaning "Cod's high open land".[25]Cod was interpreted as an Old English personal name, which may be recognised in further names:Cutsdean, Codeswellan, and Codesbyrig, some of which date to the 8th century.[26] It has subsequently been noticed thatCod could derive philologically from a Brittonic female cognateCuda, a hypotheticalmother goddess inCeltic mythology postulated to have been worshipped in the Cotswold region.[27][28]
The Cotswolds' spine runs southwest to northeast through six counties, particularly Gloucestershire, west Oxfordshire, and southwestern Warwickshire. The Cotswolds' northern and western edges are marked by steepescarpments down to theSevern valley and theWarwickshire Avon. This feature, known as the Cotswold escarpment or the Cotswold Edge, is a result of the uplifting (tilting) of the limestone layer, exposing its broken edge.[29] This is acuesta, in geological terms. Thedip slope is to the southeast.
On the eastern boundary lies the city ofOxford and on the west isStroud. To the southeast, the upper reaches of theThames Valley and towns such asLechlade,Tetbury, andFairford are often considered to mark the limit of the region. To the south the Cotswolds, with the characteristic uplift of the Cotswold Edge, reach beyondBath, and towns such asChipping Sodbury andMarshfield share elements of Cotswold character.
The area is characterised by attractive small towns and villages built of the underlying Cotswold stone (a yellowooliticlimestone).[29] This limestone is rich infossils, particularly of fossilisedsea urchins. Cotswold towns includeBourton-on-the-Water,Charlbury,Chipping Campden,Chipping Norton,Cricklade,Dursley,Malmesbury,Minchinhampton,Moreton-in-Marsh,Nailsworth,Northleach,Painswick,Stow-on-the-Wold,Stroud,Tetbury,Witney,Winchcombe andWotton-under-Edge. Popular villages includeBroadway, andChalford. In addition, much ofBox lies in the Cotswolds.Bath,Cheltenham,Cirencester,Gloucester, andStroud, are larger urban centres that border on, or are virtually surrounded by, the Cotswold AONB.
Chipping Campden is notable as the home of theArts and Crafts movement, founded byWilliam Morris at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.[30] Morris lived occasionally inBroadway Tower, a folly, now part of a country park.[31] Chipping Campden is also known for the annualCotswold Olimpick Games, a celebration of sports and games dating to the early 17th century.[32] Of the Cotswolds' nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km2), roughly 80 per cent is farmland.[33] There are over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of footpaths and bridleways, and 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of historic stone walls.[10]
The Cotswolds limestones form part of a range of sedimentary rocks deposited in the Middle Jurassic period, theGreat Oolite Group and theInferior Oolite Group. They run betweenDorset on the English Channel coast andScarborough on the Yorkshire coast of the North Sea. Although more famous for their limestone lithologies, they also contain sandstones and mudstones. Within the Cotswolds area, the Great Oolite Group contains limestones formations such as:Cornbrash,White Limestone and Athelstan Oolite. In this area, the Inferior Oolite Group contains limestones such asBirdlip Limestone, Aston Limestone andSalperton Limestone formations. In the East Midlands, the Inferior Oolite Group containsLincolnshire Limestone (plusNorthampton Sandstones containingIronstone that were quarried for the steelworks atScunthorpe andCorby). In the southwest of England, theHam Hill Limestone Member of theBridport Sand Formation is a honey-coloured limestone reminiscent of the northern Cotswolds limestones. Such areas are sometimes referred to as the Notswolds[34] due to their similarity with the Cotswolds.
A 2017 report on employment within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty stated that the main sources of income were real estate, renting and business activities, manufacturing, and wholesale & retail trade repairs. Some 44% of residents were employed in these sectors.[12] Agriculture is also important; 86% of the land in the AONB is used for this purpose. The primary crops include barley, beans,rapeseed and wheat, while the raising of sheep is also important; cows and pigs are also reared. The livestock sector has been declining since 2002.[35]
According to 2011 census data for the Cotswolds,[36] the wholesale and retail trade was the largest employer (15.8% of the workforce), followed by education (9.7%) and health and social work (9.3%). The report also indicates that a relatively higher proportion of residents worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing, accommodation and food services, as well as in professional, scientific, and technical activities.[37] Unemployment in the Cotswold District was among the lowest in the country.[38] An August 2017 report showed only 315 unemployed persons, a decrease of five from a year earlier.[39]
Tourism is a significant part of the economy. The Cotswold District area gained over £373 million from visitor spending on accommodation, £157 million on local attractions and entertainments, and about £100m on travel in 2016.[40] In the larger Cotswolds Tourism area, including Stroud, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury,[38] tourism generated about £1 billion in 2016, providing 200,000 jobs. Some 38 million day visits were made to the Cotswold Tourism area that year.
Many travel guides direct tourists toChipping Campden,Stow-on-the-Wold,Bourton-on-the-Water,[41]Broadway,Bibury, andStanton.[42][43] Some of these locations can be very crowded at times. Roughly 300,000 people visit Bourton per year, for example, with about half staying for a day or less.[44] The area also has numerous public walking trails and footpaths that attract visitors, including the 93-mile (150 km)Cotswold Way (part of theNational Trails system) from Bath to Chipping Campden.[45]
In August 2018, the final decision was made for a Local Plan that would lead to the building of nearly 7,000 additional homes by 2031, in addition to over 3,000 already built. Areas for development include Cirencester, Bourton-on-the-Water, Down Ampney, Fairford, Kemble, Lechlade, Northleach, South Cerney, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury and Moreton-in-Marsh. Some of the money received from developers will be earmarked for new infrastructure to support the increasing population.[46]
Cotswold stone is a yellowooliticJurassiclimestone. This limestone is rich infossils, particularly of fossilisedsea urchins. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as honey or golden.[47] The stone varies in colour from north to south, being honey-coloured in the north and northeast, as in villages such asStanton andBroadway; golden-coloured in the central and southern areas, as inDursley andCirencester; and pearly white inBath.[48]
The rock outcrops at places on the Cotswold Edge; small quarries are common. The exposures are rarely sufficiently compact to be good forrock-climbing, but an exception is Castle Rock, onCleeve Hill, nearCheltenham. In his 1934 bookEnglish Journey,J. B. Priestley wrote of Cotswold buildings made of the local stone. He said: "The truth is that it has no colour that can be described. Even when the sun is obscured and the light is cold, these walls are still faintly warm and luminous, as if they knew the trick of keeping the lost sunlight of centuries glimmering about them."[49]
The term "Cotswolds National Landscape" was adopted in September 2020, using a proposed name replacement forAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).[50][51] All AONBs in England and Wales were re-branded as "National Landscapes" in November 2023,[52] although (as of 2024) the legal name and designation remains "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" under theCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, amending theNational Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.[53] The term AONB is still used in this section.
The Cotswolds National Landscape area (formerly the Cotwolds AONB) was originally designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966, with an expansion on 21 December 1990 to 1,990 square kilometres (768 sq mi). In 1991, all AONBs were measured again using modern methods, and the official area of the Cotswolds AONB was increased to 2,038 square kilometres (787 sq mi). In 2000, the government confirmed that AONBs have the same landscape quality and status asNational Parks.[54] It is England's third-largest protected landscape, after theLake District andYorkshire Dales national parks.[6]
The Cotswolds National Landscape, which is the largest inEngland and Wales, stretches from the border regions of South Warwickshire and Worcestershire, through West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, and takes in parts of Wiltshire and ofBath and North East Somerset in the south.[55] Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for sixty-three per cent of the AONB.[56] The Cotswolds Conservation Board has the task of conserving and enhancing the AONB. Established under statute in 2004 as an independent public body, the Board carries out a range of work from securing funding for 'on the ground' conservation projects, to providing a strategic overview of the area for key decision makers, such as planning officials. The Board is funded byNatural England and the seventeen local authorities that are covered by the AONB.[57] The Cotswolds AONB Management Plan 2018–2023 was adopted by the Board in September 2018.[58]
The landscape of the AONB is varied, including escarpment outliers, escarpments, rolling hills and valleys, enclosed limestone valleys, settled valleys, ironstone hills and valleys, high wolds and high wold valleys, high wold dip-slopes, dip-slope lowland and valleys, a Low limestone plateau, cornbrash lowlands, farmed slopes, a broad floodplain valley, a large pastoral lowland vale, a settled unwooded vale, and an unwooded vale.[59] While the beauty of the Cotswolds AONB is intertwined with that of the villages that seem almost to grow out of the landscape, the Cotswolds were primarily designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for the rare limestone grassland habitats as well as the old growthbeech woodlands that typify the area. These habitat areas are also the last refuge for many other flora and fauna, with some so endangered that they are protected under theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981.Cleeve Hill, and its associated commons, is a fine example of a limestone grassland and it is one of the few locations where theDuke of Burgundy butterfly may still be found in abundance.[60]
A June 2018 report stated that the AONB receives "23 million visitors a year, the third largest of any protected landscape".[61] Earlier that year, Environment secretaryMichael Gove announced that a panel would be formed to consider making some of the AONBs into National Parks. The review will file its report in 2019.[62] In April 2018, the Cotswolds Conservation Board had written toNatural England "requesting that consideration be given to making the Cotswolds a National Park", according to Liz Eyre, chairman.[63] This has led to some concern; one member of theCotswold District Council said, "National Park designation is a significant step further and raises the prospect of key decision making powers being taken away from democratically elected councillors".[64] In other words, Cotswold District Council would no longer have the authority to grant and refuse housing applications.[65]
Indicative of the Cotswolds' uniqueness and value is that five EuropeanSpecial Areas of Conservation, threenational nature reserves and more than 80Sites of Special Scientific Interest are within the Cotswolds AONB.[66] The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens Service was established in 1968 to help conserve and enhance the area, and now has more than 300 wardens.[67] TheCotswold Way is a long-distance footpath, just over 100 miles (160 km) long, running the length of the AONB, mainly on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment with views over theSevern Valley and the Vale ofEvesham.[68]
Pictured is the garden ofSudeley Castle atWinchcombe. The present castle structure was built in the 15th century and may be on the site of a 12th-century castle.[69] It is north of thespa town ofCheltenham, which has much Georgian architecture. Further south, towardsTetbury, is the fortress known asBeverston Castle, founded in 1229 byMaurice de Gaunt. In the same area isCalcot Manor, a manor house with origins in about 1300 as a tithe barn.[70]
Tetbury Market House was built in 1655.[71] During theMiddle Ages, Tetbury became an important market for Cotswold wool and yarn.Chavenage House is an Elizabethan-era manor house 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Tetbury.[72]Chedworth Roman Villa, where several mosaic floors are on display, is near the Roman road known as theFosse Way, 8 miles (13 km) north of the town of Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester).Cirencester Abbey was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1117,[73] andMalmesbury Abbey was one of the few English houses with a continual history from the 7th century through to theDissolution of the Monasteries.[74]
An unusual house in this area isQuarwood, a Victorian Gothic house inStow-on-the-Wold. The grounds, covering 42 acres (17 ha), include parkland, fish ponds, paddocks, garages, woodlands and seven cottages.[75] Another isWoodchester Mansion, an unfinished, Gothic revival mansion house in Woodchester Park near Nympsfield.[76]Newark Park is aGrade I listed country house ofTudor origins near the village of Ozleworth,Wotton-under-Edge. The house sits in an estate of 700 acres (300 ha)[77] at the Cotswold escarpment's southern end.
Another of the many manor houses in the area,Owlpen Manor in the village of Owlpen in theStroud district, is also Tudor and Grade I listed. Further north,Broadway Tower is afolly on Broadway Hill, near the village of Broadway, Worcestershire. To the south of the Cotswolds isCorsham Court, acountry house in a park designed byCapability Brown in the town ofCorsham, 3 miles (5 km) west of Chippenham, Wiltshire.
The Cotswolds lie between theM5,M40 andM4 motorways. The main A-roads through the area are:
These all roughly follow the routes of ancient roads, some laid down by theRomans, such asErmin Way and theFosse Way.
There are local bus services across the area, but some are infrequent.
TheRiver Thames flows from the Cotswolds and is navigable fromInglesham andLechlade-on-Thames downstream toOxford. West of Inglesham. theThames and Severn Canal and theStroudwater Navigation connected the Thames to theRiver Severn; this route is mostly disused nowadays but several parts are in the process of being restored.
The area is bounded by two major rail routes: in the south by the mainBristol–Bath–London line (including the South Wales main line) and in the west by theBristol–Birmingham main line. In addition, theCotswold line runs through the Cotswolds fromOxford toWorcester, and theGolden Valley line runs across the hills from Swindon viaStroud toGloucester, carrying fast and local services.
Mainline rail services to the big cities run from railway stations such asBath,Swindon,Oxford,Cheltenham, andWorcester. Mainline trains run byGreat Western Railway toLondon Paddington also are available fromKemble station near Cirencester,Kingham station near Stow-on-the-Wold,Charlbury station, andMoreton-in-Marsh station. Additionally, there is theGloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, a steam heritage railway over part of the closedStratford–Cheltenham line, running fromCheltenham Racecourse throughGotherington,Winchcombe, andHayles Abbey Halt toToddington and Laverton. The preserved line has been extended toBroadway.
The population of theCotswold local authority area in the 2021 census was 90,800, an increase of 9.6% from 82,900 in 2011.[78] The percentage of usual residents in relationships, aged 16 and above, were:[8]
In 2021, 96.3% of people in Cotswold identified their ethnic group with the "White" category, a slight decrease from 97.8% in 2011. Over 1.3% identified as "Asian" or British Asian, 1.5% chose "Mixed or Multiple" category, 0.4% were "Black, Black British, Caribbean or African" and 0.4% chose "Other".[78]
The Cotswold region has inspired several notable English composers. In the early 1900s,Herbert Howells andIvor Gurney took long walks together over the hills, and Gurney urged Howells to make the landscape, including the nearbyMalvern Hills, the inspiration for future work. In 1916, Howells wrote his first major piece, thePiano Quartet in A minor, inspired by the magnificent view of theMalverns; he dedicated it to "the hill at Chosen (Churchdown) and Ivor Gurney who knows it".[79] Another contemporary of theirs,Gerald Finzi, lived in nearbyPainswick.[80]
Gustav Holst, who was born in Cheltenham, spent much of his early years playing the organ in Cotswold village churches, including atCranham, after which he titled his tune for "In the Bleak Midwinter". He also called his Symphony in F major, Op. 8, H47,The Cotswolds. Holst's friendRalph Vaughan Williams was born atDown Ampney in the Cotswolds and, though he moved toSurrey as a boy, gave the name of his native village to the tune forCome Down, O Love Divine. His operaHugh the Drover depicts life in a Cotswold village and incorporates local folk melodies. In 1988, the 6th symphony (Op. 109) of composerDerek Bourgeois was titledA Cotswold Symphony. The Cotswolds are a popular location for scenes in films and television programmes.[81][82]
The 2008 filmBetter Things, directed by Duane Hopkins, is set in a small Cotswold village. The fictional detectiveAgatha Raisin lives in the fictional Cotswold village of Carsely.[citation needed] Other productions filmed in the Cotswolds or nearby, at least in part, include some of theHarry Potter series (Gloucester Cathedral),Bridget Jones's Diary (Snowshill),Pride and Prejudice (Cheltenham Town Hall), andBraveheart (Cotswold Farm Park).[citation needed]
The television seriesFather Brown is set in and primarily filmed in the Cotswolds. Scenes and buildings inSudeley Castle was often featured in the series.[83] The vicarage inBlockley was used for the main character's residence and the AnglicanSt Peter and St Paul church was theRoman Catholic St Mary's.[81] Other filming locations includedGuiting Power, the former hospital inMoreton-in-Marsh,Winchcombe railway station,Lower Slaughter, and St Peter's Church inUpper Slaughter.[84][85] In the 2010s BBC TV seriesPoldark, the location for Ross Poldark's family home, Trenwith, isChavenage House, Tetbury, which is open to the public.[86] Many exterior shots of village life in theDownton Abbey TV series were filmed inBampton, Oxfordshire;[citation needed] other filming locations in that county included Swinbrook, Cogges, and Shilton.[87][88][89] The television documentary agriculture-themed seriesClarkson's Farm was filmed at various locations aroundChipping Norton.[citation needed]
The authorJilly Cooper is closely associated with the area, basing her fictional county of Rutshire, and its book series theRutshire Chronicles, on the area.[90]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under anOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.The Cotswolds are quite simply a hiker's paradise. Miles upon miles of public pathways and bridleways to explore.
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage
Cities near the Cotswolds | |
|---|---|
| East of England |  | |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | ||
| North East | ||
| North West | ||
| South East | ||
| South West | ||
| West Midlands | ||
| Yorkshire and the Humber | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
