Â鶹APP

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about the Cotswolds

Located in the west of England, the Cotswolds is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Built using honey-colored stones, the charming villages and towns are a sight to behold. In the UK, the Cotswolds are some of the most stunning, green undulating hills. With amazing walks and wildlife, the Cotswolds are very popular for dog walkers, hikers, and countryside enthusiasts.

The breed of sheep which roams the Cotswolds hills is locally referred to as the Cotswolds Lion. Used for the provision of nearly all the cloth wool in England, this breed was nearly extinct. Through protection and conservation efforts, this breed has been bread back into a healthy population.

One of the most popular events in the Cotswolds is the cheese rolling festival. The event takes place in Birdlip at Coopers Hill. The seven pounds (a little more than three kilograms), Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down the hill. The person who gets to the cheese first takes it home.

One of TS Eliot’s famous poems titled ‘The Country Walk’ is based on the Cotswolds. A regular visitor to the area, Eliot wrote a lot of content based on the walks across the hills. The Cotswolds are also said to have inspired one of William Shakespeare’s popular plays. Inspired by a wedding at Berkeley Castle, it is said that Shakespeare wrote the play titled ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’

Below are ten incredible facts about the Cotswolds.

1. The Cotswolds is said to have one of the oldest pubs in England

A row of cottages in Bibury, Cotswolds, England. Photo by Diliff/

Built-in 947 AD, the Porch House pub is said to be one of the oldest pubs in England. Located in Stow-on-the-Wold, the pub was attached to Evesham Abbey and served as a hospice or what was known as a place of rest and refreshment.

Carbon dating has been used to test the timbers are they are said to be from around 947 AD. Currently, a restaurant with log fires, the pub has ‘witches ‘marks’ in the public rooms. Back then, these marks were used to ward off witches’ spells.

2. The word Cotswolds is a combination of two words

The Secret Garden at Sudeley Castle is located near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. Photo by Saffron Blaze/

A combination of two words, Cotswolds is derived by combining Cot and Wold. Cot means a sheep enclosure while Wold means a hill. If directly translated, the name Cotswolds means a sheep enclosure on a hill.

During the medieval period, a lot of wealth in the area was generated from the wool trade. The farmers and merchants in the area are said to have given a lot of their wealth to the churches for them to ease their way to heaven. These churches were known as wool churches.

3. The Cotswolds covers a distance of about 800 square miles

A man and woman walking in Cotswolds. Photo by Robert Bye on

Stretching across 5 English counties, the Cotswolds is about 800 square miles (about 512,000 acres). It covers the distance southwest from near Stratford-upon-Avon to just south of the City of Bath.

The five counties are Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire.

4. The first and last Civil Wars in England were fought at Cotswolds

View of houses in Cotswolds. Photo by Magda V on

Fought at Edgehill and Worcester respectively, the first and last English Civil wars in the mid-1600s were fought in the Cotswolds. King Charles I had his headquarters at Oxford to the southeast while to the west, Oliver Cromwell had garrisons and sympathizers.

They both stayed on Broadway at Lygon Arms Inn. Used by Cromwell in 1651, you can sleep in the room that Cromwell slept in.

5. The buildings in Cotswolds are made from honey-colored limestone

Residential properties are made of Cotswold stone (oolitic Jurassic limestone). Photo by Peter K Burian/

The buildings in Cotswolds are usually made using honey-colored Oolithic Limestone. The colors vary in the shade of brown depending on the iron ore content in the various local quarries.

The color tones offer a soft shade that helps the villages and towns to blend into the landscape.

6. The Rollright Stones in the Cotswolds are five thousand years old

The King’s Men stone circle at the Rollright Stones, 2011. Photo by Midnightblueowl/

Amongst the sites at the Cotswolds are the Rollright Stones. Said to be five thousand years old, you can walk among the 70 stones. This ancient stone circle is said to have been used by the local tribes as a council circle.

Referred to as the King’s Men, these stones are located near a smaller set known as the Whispering Knights. Also near those is a funeral stone known as the King’s Stone.

7. You can enjoy a fantastic view from the Broadway Tower

Broadway Tower & Country Park in Broadway. Photo by Colin Watts on

Built-in 1794, the Broadway Tower offers spectacular views of the Cotswolds. This view covers 16 counties across 60 miles. Legend is, that the tower was funded by an aristocrat who wanted to find out if a beacon was visible from her house.

Her house was located in Worcester and the beacon was indeed visible from there.

8. There are several beautiful gardens in the Cotswolds

The signature bird topiaries are found in Hidcote Manor’s gardens. Photo by VashiDonsk/

There are a number of magnificent, stunning gardens available in the Cotswolds. The most notable one is Hidcote Manor Garden. Created by Lawrence Johnson in 1907, Johnson’s series of ‘rooms’ within a garden, made him one of the most prominent gardeners in England.

9. The River Eye meanders through the Lower Slaughter village in Cotswolds

Castle Combe is a small Cotswold village in Wiltshire, England. It is renowned for its attractiveness and for fine buildings including the medieval church. More recently it was the setting for the movie ‘The War Horse’. Photo by Saffron Blaze/

There are a number of quaint English villages in the Cotswolds. The Lower Slaughter can be said to be one of the most charming. This village derives its name from the word ‘slough’ which means wetlands or muddy areas.

The river Eye created the wet area as it meandered through the village. The village does not lack tranquillity and charm with its manor house, pub, church, and mill.

10. Some cottages in Cotswolds have thatched roofs

Thatch and slate roof, Stretton-on-Fosse, Cotswolds. Photo by Peter K Burian/

Made from lightweight thatch roofing materials, about 60,000 cottages in Cotswolds have thatched roofs. The material was cheaper to acquire and keep the cottage cool in the summer and cozy in winter. Originally, birds and squirrels could nest in the thatch but the use of wire mesh prevents this from happening.

Among the amazing facts about Cotswolds is that there is a drystone wall that is as long as the Great Wall of China. Also, during World War II, over 2,000 children were evacuated out of London.

Cirencester, which is the capital of the Cotswolds, was the site of this evacuation. During the Roman era, Cotswolds was once the second largest town in England. Its population significantly reduced over the years but there is still a considerable population available.