The History And Heritage Of The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds of today is an outcome of history because it managed to mostly stave

off the plague of over development; this region is a veritable time-line of the ages. Today the buildings are redeveloped for modern use while maintaining their original form and appeal.

Former fabric mills have been preserved to house offices, residential lofts and restaurants.

Workshops have been modernized and display the latest gadgets in the wavy-glass windows of yesteryear.

Characteristic coaching inns still offer respite and hospitality in the form of a pub (short for public house), retaining the low doorways, heavy wooden beams and heavily-trod flooring.

A great many buildings are officially listed as historic and protected from serious alteration.

Centuries ago the Cotswolds was made wealthy by the wool trade, and the results of that wealth can be seen in the many fine manor houses and churches throughout the area.

The county is rich in Neolithic remains with about 80 long barrows of the Cotswold-Severn type. Belas Knap is one of the largest, while you can actually crawl inside the fine example of Hetty Pegler's Tump. There are also a number of causewayed camps dating from this period with a well-researched example at Crickley Hill. The Bronze Age is represented by the remains of some 400 round barrows concentrated on the Cotswold.

This area is also home to the majority of the 32 Iron Age hill forts identified in Gloucestershire, many in strong positions on the Cotswold scarp. Leckhampton Hill has a fine accessible example from this period. Near Barrow Wake was found the superb brooch and mirror from the Birdlip grave group, now displayed in Gloucester City Museum.

Two things above all give the Cotswolds their special warmth and richness; the soft natural limestone and the wealth of the wool trade in medieval England centuries ago which has left its legacy in the high quality stone buildings for which the area is renowned. Today the Cotswolds has a magnetic attraction for many: artists, historians, naturalists, cyclists and walkers anyone indeed with a love for rural peace and the tranquillity of the English countryside. Traditional as well as contemporary crafts are demonstrated in galleries and at shows all over the area.

There is a wide range of attractions to suit all these tastes and more. Exploring the real Cotswolds at any time of year is a rewarding experience, each season throwing a different light on the ever-changing scene.

by: Brendan Wilde

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