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INTRODUCTION
Stow on the Wold is a Cotswold town in the heart of England.
The word Cotswold is in fact two words, 'cots' meaning a sheep's shelter
and 'wold' meaning gently rolling hills. Stow on the Wold is one
of the most beautiful towns in this area and exhibits all the old
fashioned qualities of a quintessentially English town.Its wealth was
built on the locally farmed sheep which had unusually high quality
fleeces, making them ideal for the wool industry in the 13th to 15th
centuries. The limestone soil makes ideal conditions for sheep farming
and the limestone was also used to build the distinctive coloured houses
and dry stone walls
so popular in Stow on the Wold.
Stow in the Wold, in mediaeval times called Stow St Edwards, is in
the north of the Cotswolds, and recently has made great strides in
restoring local buildings and forming itself into a 'must-visit' English
tourist attraction. |
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Dry stone walls in Cotswolds |
STOW ON THE WOLD HISTORY
Stow on the Wold was officially recognised as a a town in its own right
in 1086 and was granted the right to hold markets there in 1107.
Originally it was part of the nearby village Maugersbury but by the
early 1300s it had established itself as the larger of the two towns
having, according to the tax returns of the time, 27 residents liable to
taxation.The town expanded at a rapid rate in the 1400s and 1500s
becoming well known for the quality of its wool. The town continued to
prosper until the 1850s onwards when the Industrial Revolution began to
gather pace. Gradually the farming population moved to more
industrialised towns leaving Stow on the Wold with a decreasing
population until the early 1930s. |
St Edward's Hall, Stow |
STOW ON THE WOLD 1930s TO NOW
In the early 1930s Stow on the Wold was left with a sheep farming
industry which was concentrated into the hands of the wealthy few and no
industrial base. The local council however began a significant house
building program in the town which attracted mainly the elderly and
those seeking second homes.
This expansion of Stow on the Wold has
continued to the present day. Now, the town's primary income comes from
tourism aided by careful restoration and expansion. |
St Edward's Church |
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THE MARKET SQUARE
At the centre of Stow on the Wold is the old-charm market square. It was
originally much larger but building work throughout the centuries has
taken up some of the space it occupied. It is characterised by the
limestone building which surround it many dating back to the 1500s and
1600s.
One of the most photographed structures in Stow on the Wold is
the Market Cross (click left picture to enlarge) dating back to the
1400s. It was first restored in 1878 to the memory of James Chamberlayne,
a local dignitary. It was again restored in 1995 as the plaque on the
Market Cross indicates. The panels on it are dedicated to events and
people who were of importance to the town; The Civil War, The
Crucifixion, Edward the Confessor and the Wool Trade (see pictures
below). |
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STOW ON THE WOLD INNS AND PUBS
In common with several other pubs, the Royalist Inn (see left
picture) just off the Market
Square in Stow on the Wold claims to be the oldest Inn in England.
said to date back to AD 970. The claim of the oldest inn in England
however does not guarantee it to be the most interesting in Stow on the
Wold.
There are many pubs and inns in the town, the reason being that it is
situated on a key intersection of the Fosse Way. One of the most
interesting inns is the Kings Arms where Charles I stayed prior to the
Battle of Naseby in the Civil War. The largest inn and hotel in the area
is the Unicorn. |
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ST EDWARDS CHURCH
St Edwards Church in Stow on the Wold is known to date back
to at least the 1100s and the recorded existence of a priest in the town
in 1086 probably dates it back to that time.
The majority of the existing church was built in the late 1400s and
early 1500s from money made in the wool trade. The large picture of the
Crucifixion was the work of the Flemish painter Gaspar de Craeyer. There
are also memorials to John Chamberlayne and Francis Keyt (see picture
right) who died at the
Battle of Stow in 1646, one of the last battles of the Civil War. |
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OTHER ATTRACTIONS
The Toy Museum at Stow on the Wold is well worth a visit. On display
are toys dating back to Victorian times. Admission prices are £2.50
or £5.00 for a family. Open from February to October, Wednesdays to
Saturdays. Click here
for their website.The stocks are on display in the Market Square
(picture right) which date back to the 1600s although they have been
renovated and replaced several times in their history. |
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NEARBY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
About eight miles away (after passing through Moreton on Marsh) is Batsford
Arboretum. A superb collection of trees in a lovely setting for walking. The
Japanese Maple Tree collection is at its best in autumn but we can assure you
that it is well worth a visit at any time of the year. There is a charge for
entry and more details can be found on their
official website.
HOTELS
There are a whole pile of hotels is Stow on Wold and our advice would be
to give the well-known ones a miss. One good hotel with very reasonable
prices which we can recommend is the Old Stocks Hotel,
click here for more information.
It's right in the centre of the town on Market Square. It may not be the best overall but
pound for pound it offers very good value and lots of old England charm.
It offers bed and breakfast accommodation with a great restaurant for
evening meals. The building dates back to the 1500s and is immediately
behind the original site of the town stocks which date back to the
1600s. The patio garden at the rear is very attractive for afternoon or
evening drinks. If you want to be in the centre of the town then this
hotel gets out recommendation. |
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Stow on the Wold is a very attractive village but if you crave
for a little peace and quiet in your hotel then just under a mile away is the
Little Broom Hotel in Maugersbury. This has our recommendation as the best hotel
to stay in the area. The views from the village of Maugersbury over
the surrounding Cotswolds are spectacular, our picture below does not do
justice! It is set in beautiful quiet countryside with all the old world
charm that this area is famous for. The Little Broom offers a variety of
great value rooms with a superb English breakfast. Combine this with
delightful gardens and a heated outdoor swimming pool in the summer and
it's a winner for us. |
Contact details for the Little Broom are by telephone +44 (0)1451
830510 and more details can be found by
clicking here. A couple of photos of the hotel gardens and the view from
Maugersbury are shown below.
Gardens at The Little Broom |
Veg Garden at the Little Broom |
View from Maugersbury |
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING FOR STOW ON THE
WOLD
Click
here for a map of Stow on the Wold. There is parking on the streets in the
town centre but it is very pot luck to get a space. Also the traffic wardens are
constantly patrolling and they catch a good few tourists parking illegally. The
best place to park is in the Town Centre car park (entrance by the Tesco super
store) which is well sign-posted. It's
next to the Tesco supermarket which, so we are told, can be used as an overflow
car park if the main one is full up.
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