Launton Historical Society

We’re not in the Cotswolds but we’re close enough to take an easy trip there. So it was good to hear Sean Callery’s Cotswold Cornucopia at our meeting in May.

Sean retrained as a tour guide - just in time for the Covid lockdowns. Roughly bounded by Chipping Norton, Cheltenham, Stratford and Stroud, the Cotswolds are 800 square miles of sheep, stone and hills. For many years the best wool in England came from the Cotswolds. The Lion Sheep was used there 100 years ago - a short and stocky breed so the walls could be low.

We heard about the honey stone of Chipping Camden and its lovely market hall built in 1627 - not for sheep, but to protect produce. Some Americans wanted to buy it - but were not successful. St James Church is a wool church, one of about 12 significant wool churches across the Cotswolds, like mini cathedrals.

Broadway is very popular with tours - it has a handy car park with loos - apparently quite a feature in this area. The fabulous Lygon Arms is named after General Lygon: before the change of name it was known for centuries as The White Hart. Winchcombe was a Saxon regional capital - it has lots of jettying- where upper floors jut out above the street. In St Peter’s Church, there’s the loneliest man. He paid for his statue and left a space beside him for his wife. She married again after his death and was buried with the next husband.

Cheltenham was originally marshland.It wasn’ta significant mediaeval settlement. But it came into its own when the spa trend kicked off in the 1700s and it turned into a pleasant town. Tetbury is a classic mediaeval place with a large market hall. Its emblem is the dolphin – despite being as far from the sea as you can get.

By the time you read this we will have heard Carol Anderson talk about The Ascott Martyrs. Then in July we have our outing to Upper Heyford Heritage, a social in August, and in September we reconvene to hear Stephen Barker talk about The Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry on the Somme, 1916. In October, Tim Healey will speak about Apples!

Gwen Skinner