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A slightly discovered AONB
We started to discover some of the undiscovered part of the West Cotswold’s the other day, a whirlwind trip down country lanes and into little towns so rustic they seemed painted on to the landscape, or as sets for chocolate box lids. Leaving behind the Sunday morning electrical storms of London we weren’t sure what to expect as we headed down the M4 towards Stroud in Gloucester, the home of Alan Moorhouse, one of Kaelene’s genealogy friends, who has become a regular correspondent.
Stroud has never been one of those places on the must-see list, an old mill town at the confluence of five valleys, one of those areas whose history is steeped in the industrial revolution but more recently hit hard by the decline of local textile manufacturing. Fortunately, however, much of the town is being preserved and gentrified under the careful gaze of local activists and a Green-dominated council. Across from Alan’s house, for example, an old canal which looks to have been unused for decades is soon to be returned to its former working order as part of the Cotswold’s Canals Project. These canals were originally built to link the Thames and the Severn rivers and in the future will be used mainly for recreation. Similarly, many of the old mills and historic buildings have been saved from the wrecking ball and given new leases of life as housing or offices.
From Alan’s house we survived the protective challenge of a swan with its seven signets at a nearby mill pond, and peered through the windows at Lodgemore Mill which still produces the red textile for Royal Guards’ uniforms, the green baize for snooker and billiard tables and the outer covering or weave for tennis balls. Further up the hill, Rodborough Fort (described as a Victorian Folly) overlooks the town and nearby valleys but unfortunately it is behind stone walls and closed to the public.
But it was after a nice pub lunch of roast beef and pork that Alan took us to what he described as the part of the Cotswolds that is picture perfect but away from much of the usual traffic of tourists and holidaymakers. And not to disappoint we didn’t escape those unusual names; Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter, Naunton and Guiting Power. Down the road there is, confusingly, Wyck Rissington and Wick Rissington quintupled with Little Rissington, Upper Rissington and Great Rissington.
These little towns are all just beautiful, manor house and cottages built of Cotswold stone, many with stone tile roofs and stone walls, quant little churches, streams and buildings with dovecotes built into their lofts. There are waterwheels and little fords, it just goes on. Here’s the local tourism guide’s description of Guiting Power: This delightful village is a fascinating example of the unconscious harmony created by Cotswold masons over the centuries. The cottages, shops and inns are all beautifully cared for. The Farmers Arms in the village and the Hollow Bottom Inn on the road leading to Winchcombe form welcome breaks on a number of glorious walks that can be taken in this area - north-westwards to Guiting Woods, south-eastwards down the Windrush Valley to Naunton, or south-westwards to Hawling. Quite so.
Apparently it costs quite a lot to buy property in these little towns and it is easy to see why, although there is a question over paying a fortune for a property to have it become a gawking-stop for people like us. The cheapest we saw listed was Rose Cottage in Naunton. With two bedrooms, this Grade II listed stone cottage is described as in need of improvement, but a bargain at 210,000 pounds ($NZ545,000). Most places seem to be upwards of 500,000 pounds.
The Cotswolds has been designated as England’ largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, “a precious landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them.” It is little wonder that Alan wanted to show as much as he possible could in an afternoon, but time allowed us only a cursory scratching of the surface. It is, of course, a good reason to return.