Author(s): Jane Bingham

World History

Lying in the heart of Southern England, the Cotswolds occupy a significant place in the history of the nation. Ancient stone circles and ruined Roman villas provide reminders of a distant past. Fine churches and manor houses survive from the prosperous Middle Ages, and the landscape also bears the scars of Civil War. The home of kings and nobles since Saxon times, the region is famous for its grand estates, while signs of an industrial age can be seen in its mills and factories. After the wool trade reached its peak in the fifteenth century, the fortunes of the Cotswolds suffered a slow decline as its villages sank into picturesque decay. But in the 1890s the region began to experience a remarkable transformation. It was then that William Morris and his followers discovered the area, establishing thriving centres for Arts and Crafts. In the following century, writers and artists moved to the Cotswolds and there followed a steady rise in tourism. Today, the region continues to attract visitors, as well as country-weekenders and celebrities.