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Be a Destinations-UK-Ireland Sponsor  Our Gloucestershire Articles Cotswold Villages Bibury Berkeley Castle and Church St Nicholas Church Oddington Chavenage House Gloucester Docks and Waterways Museum St Peter Church at Duntisbourne Abbots Woodchester Mansion Westonbirt National Arboretum Westbury Court Garden St Peter and St Paul Church St Leonard’s Church, Bledington Bourton House Garden St James Church, Chipping Camden Rodmarton Manor and Gardens Hidcote Manor Garden Cirencester Parish Church of St John the Baptist Trull House Garden Gloucester City Sherborne Park Lodge and Estate Westonbirt National Arboretum St Mary the Virgin Parish Church, Tetbury, Gloucestershire St Mary the Virgin Church, Fairford Kiftsgate Court Gardens Other England Articles Stay at Holly House in the Cotswolds |
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There’s no doubt the county of Gloucestershire occupies some of England’s loveliest landscape. Here are the Cotswold hills, the Royal Forest of Dean, and the Severn Vale. The River Severn is noted for its Severn Bore, a natural tidal wave. It’s a natural attraction viewed at different times and places during the year. The Forest of Dean consists of 24,000 acres of ancient forest and the River Wye. The Forest of Dean was once a mining area, which is reflected in its villages and towns, but there are some attractive winding roads and walking trails. Be sure to include a visit to the Forest of Dean Heritage Centre. It’s a fascinating museum chock full of information and displays. 
Westbury Court Garden, in the Forest of Dean, is a water garden. It was created by Maynard Colchester I and dates from 1696-1705. He planted thousands of yew trees and holly bushes and began the pattern of hedges and topiary. It was designed to be productive and vegetable and fruit trees were intermingled with flowers that included tulips, irises, and hyacinths. A warren supplied rabbit meat and the canals were stocked with fish. The garden was neglected over the centuries as well as having flooding problems. It has been restored and although small is perfectly formed and a lovely peaceful place to relax in. 
The Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty extending from Chipping Campden in the North to Bath in the south, have justly earned their reputation for delighting visitors. The mellow Cotswold stone is used in the construction of field fences as well as in the village homes and properties. Wool brought prosperity to the Cotswolds and that money is reflected in its wool churches. Don’t miss the 28 medieval stained glass windows in the church at Fairford. 
Cotswold towns and villages in Gloucestershire include Lechlade, Fairford, Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, Northleach, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Tetbury, Moreton- in-Marsh, Winchcombe, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Stroud. For details on all Cotswold villages see our 
The Severn Vale towns include Tewkesbury where the rivers Avon and Severn meet. The town has black and white Tudor buildings and narrow alleyways, a 12th century abbey, and a market. A major battle of the War of the Roses took place here. Winchcombe existed as a walled town in Saxon times, raked in the money trading in wool, and then grew tobacco. This monied past shows in the 16th and 17th century homes. Visit the museum for full details of the town’s past. Winchcombe’s church of St Peter is the place to see gargoyles. 
Near Winchcombe is Sudeley Castle, famous as the home of Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII. She is buried in the church in the grounds. Royalty who paid visits to the castle include Elizabeth I and Henry VIII. The castle apartments show off the furniture and paintings. There is also a costume exhibition. The grounds highlight a topiary garden, old-fashioned roses, a Tudor knot garden, and a tithe barn. The extensive remains of Hailes Abbey, founded in 1246, are found near Winchcombe; there’s a museum at the site. 
Gloucester is the main city of the county and a very busy commercial centre. Visit the cathedral, which was used in the filming of Harry Potter. A religious community was founded on the site in 678; in 1017 it became a Benedictine monastery. The abbey church was begun in 1089, and there was continued building and rebuilding over the ensuing centuries. King Henry III’s coronation was held in the cathedral in 1216. There’s a tower to climb, a treasury to see, and the “whispering gallery” to try out. Architectural highlights include the Norman nave, the east window of medieval glass, and the fan-vaulted cloisters. King Edward II is buried here. 
Gloucester’s other attractions are a city museum, a folk museum (a fascinating building with an interesting collection of artefacts and information), the Victorian docks and warehouses, the National Waterways Museum (5000 items on display), the Gloucester Transport Museum, and the House of the Tailor (site of Beatrix Potter’s story of the same name). 
Near Cheltenham are the remains of the Chedworth Roman villa, comprising one of England’s largest Roman ruins. For starters, there’s a mile of walls, bath houses, and mosaics. Uncovered objects are on display in the museum, which shows an AV presentation. 
The Corinium Museum at Cirencester is a must-see. The town was Roman Britain’s second largest, and the museum collection reflects that past. Of special interest are the mosaic floors. Cirencester’s parish church of St John the Baptist and the abbey (demolished) were founded in Norman times. Displayed in the church is the Boleyn Cup, a gilt cup made in 1535 for Anne Boleyn. 
Berkeley Castle has been in the same family for 850 years. It was the scene of the infamous murder of Edward II in 1327 and also came under attack by Cromwell’s troops. On view in the state apartments are the centuries of collections: furniture, paintings, tapestries, and silver. Check out the stained glass windows in the main hall and the oak room’s panelling. The grounds include terraced gardens, a bowling green, and lawns. 
Chavenage is a Cotswold stone house built in Elizabethan times. Inside are tapestries, furniture, paintings and objects relating to Cromwell, whom the family supported. It’s a favourite venue for film and TV shows. The house is shown by tour. 
Hidcote Manor Garden dates from the early 20th century and is a series of small connected gardens. Go first thing during the week as it gets overcrowded with bus tours and hard to move around from garden room to garden room. It’s a bit of a challenge to find but more than worth it. 
Stanway House is in the Jacobean style with a baroque water garden, gravity fed cascade, pond, and canal in the grounds. Kiftsgate Court Gardens offers views over the Malvern Hills, along with its unusual shrubs and plants. 
Westonbirt Arboretum, begun in 1829, spreads over 600 acres and contains 18,000 trees. Savill Glade is a new addition to the original, having been planted in 1956. The area, though, is not new as it was first planted around 1829 by the Holford family with oak and Scots pine. It was later cleared to make room for other species. You can easily spend a day here walking along the many paths through the trees and enjoying the restaurant and shop. During the Christmas holiday season paths are lit with twinkling lights. 
Sherborne Park Lodge, on the 400 acre Cotswold hills Shelborne Estate, was built in 1634. Its owner loved to gamble, eat, and entertain. It was used as a grandstand for viewing deerhound races. There are walks on the estate as well as the lodge interior to see. Shelborne is the local village (on the other side of the A road), and the National Trust owns the shop, school, post office, and other buildings. Rodmarton Manor is a traditional country house. It contains china, needlework, and furniture. It has beautiful gardens in the grounds. Don’t miss the bird and pig topiary. 
Owlpen Manor is a Tudor house, built 1450-1616, in a wooded valley. There are Arts and Crafts collections in the home and a Victorian church. Dyrham Park, constructed between 1691 and 1702, remains little changed. Delftware, textiles, paintings, and Victorian rooms can be enjoyed. The kitchens, bakehouse, larders, tenants’ hall, and dairy comprise the “downstairs” rooms. 
Woodchester Mansion is a 19th century home that was never finished. The workers walked off the job in 1868, and nothing more was ever done. There are 27 rooms, many unfinished, shown by guided tour. A colony of bats live in the attic and are viewed through a live TV link. Gargoyles and other curiosities adorn the mansion. It’s a fascinating place. 
Another unusual manor house is Snowshill in the tiny Cotswold village of the same name. It contains the collections of one man, Charles Paget Wade. Japanese armour, weavers' and spinners’ tools, musical instruments, clocks, bikes, toys, and much more are on show in the chock-filled rooms. There is a small garden to enjoy as well. 
Sezincote is a big surprise externally. Its architecture is in the Indian style. It has a central dome, minarets, peacock tail windows, jali-work railings and pavilions. The house was built in 1810 by Charles Cockerell who had worked in India for the East India Company. The interior, however, is done in the traditional English country house style. Repton designed the grounds. There’s an orangery and a garden complete with elephant statues. You reach it by walking over a bridge with sunken gardens on either side. The gardens have pools, a grotto, waterfall, and a temple to the Hindu sun god. 
Cotswold Farm Park is a great family outing with rare breeds of British farm animals including sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, horses, poultry, and waterfowl.