The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is renowned for its famous villages, picturesque cottages and outstanding natural beauty. Its fields and rolling limestone hills are a bed of archeological information showing that they have been home to humans for thousands of years. The Cotswolds have played a vital role in the country's economic and cultural development throughout the ages.

During the Stone Age, the Cotswolds were covered in forests that thrived in the fertile soil. Anyone who has visited the area will know that the forests are gone today - much of which having been cleared by Neolithic Man (around 4000BC to 2000BC) to make way for farmland to support the growing population of the time.

Apart from subsistence farming, the geography of the Cotswolds also provided perfect locations for hill forts. Archeology has found a number of fortified sites and evidence suggests that the area has been used for such purposes throughout the Bronze and Iron Age - and indeed into Roman times.

The arrival of the Romans in around AD 47 led to a number of major developments in the region - such as the building of Cirencester (Corinuim) as a fort, which soon became England's second most important city, and the construction of a major road network. Many of the roads built during this time, such as Fosse Way and Ermin Street, still form the backbone of today's road system.

The Saxon's moved in around the 7th Century and established new settlements. The names of many towns and villages that can be seen on a modern day map of the Cotswolds are actually Saxon in origin.

Perhaps the most important period for the Cotswolds was the boom in late Middle Ages with development of sheep farming and the birth of the Cotswold wool trade. At its height, the area was supplying more than half of England's cloth and was exporting large quantities to the continent. Many of the larger houses, manors and "Wool Churches" that stand today are testament to the wealth of the wool traders.

The advent of steam power soon led to the decline of the Cotswold wool trade, with many mills being built closer to the coal fields. This is considered by many to be a blessing in disguise as it is perhaps one of the most important factors in the continued preservation of the area.

In the mid-to-late 19th Century the region came to the fore once again, this time as a driving influence in the arts and crafts movement. The "rebellion" against mass-produced products spread out from Britain and on to the continent, but its momentum waned as quality struggled to compete with price and many artists and craftsmen having to close their workshops. Some workshops remain today, but their continued survival depends, in part at least, on tourism - the key industry of the modern day Cotswolds.

Cotswolds Web Links:

The Cotswolds - The Official Cotswolds Web Site
Cotswold Holiday Guide - Where to go, what to see, what to do and where to stay
Signpost Hotel Guide - Premier Hotels in the Cotswolds region
Ballooning in the Cotswolds - hot air balloon flights