The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds
Author: Jane Bingham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2010-02-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199742227

With its gentle hills and timeless villages, the Cotswold countryside is a vision of natural beauty and rural calm, but it is also a region rich in history. In this new addition to the Landscapes of the Imagination series, Jane Bingham offers an intriguing portrait of the Cotswolds over the centuries, ranging from ancient stone circles and ruined Roman villas to the Cotswolds today, a picturesque destination spot popular with country-weekenders, tourists, and celebrities. Readers will visit fine churches and manor houses that have survived from the Middle Ages, and tour a landscape still bearing the scars of the Civil War. The home of kings and nobles since Saxon times, the region is famous for its elegant estates, such as Blenheim Palace--England's grandest stately home--while signs of the early industrial age can be seen in its mills and factories. Artists, musicians, and writers were also drawn to this rural paradise, from William Shakespeare and William Morris to T.S. Eliot and Ralph Vaughn Williams. Bingham captures it all in her charming portrait of this glorious spot in the heart of southern England.

The Simple Life

The Simple Life
Author: Fiona MacCarthy
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2014-08-21
Genre: Art
ISBN: 057132021X

The Simple Life (1981) was Fiona MacCarthy's first book, written while she was the Guardian's design correspondent (and before her acclaimed lives of Eric Gill, William Morris, and Edward Burne-Jones.) It tells of a venturesome effort to enact an Edwardian Utopia in a small town in the Cotswolds. The leader of this endeavour was progressive-minded architect Charles Robert Ashbee, who in 1888 founded the Guild of Handicraft in Whitechapel, specialising in metalworking, jewellery and furniture and informed by the desire to improve society. In 1902 Ashbee and his East London comrades removed the Guild to Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, hoping to construct a socialistic rural idyll. MacCarthy explores the impact of the experiment on the lives of the group and on the little town they occupied - tracing the Guild's fortunes and misfortunes, hilarious and grave, and the many fellow idealists and artists who were involved (among them William Morris, Roger Fry, and Sidney and Beatrice Webb.)

Cotswold Arts and Crafts Architecture

Cotswold Arts and Crafts Architecture
Author: Catherine Gordon
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2020-01-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 0750994428

Between 1890 and 1930, Arts and Crafts architecture proliferated within the Cotswolds. The range and quality of the buildings was exceptional as the region provided the perfect environment for the Movement's ideals and principles. Arts and Crafts architects relished the robust vernacular precedent as it channelled their ideas and stimulated their imaginations. Its rational basis and dependence on craft skills had lasting value, and it was no coincidence that the most influential aspect of their work was its emphasis on conservation. The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds has attracted much interest in recent decades, the appeal of the simple life and of traditional values detached from the pressures of modern society having as much allure now as it did a century ago. Most of these studies have referred to the work of architects in the region, but the subject has not received the specialist attention it deserves. Until now. This book examines the impact of the Movement on the Cotswold landscape, on the survival of its building traditions and on modern attitudes to building conservation. After an introductory section which outlines the Movement's origins and beliefs and its architectural principles, the main part of the book provides a guide to the general characteristics associated with Arts and Crafts building in the Cotswolds. There are separate chapters on the various types of new commission that were undertaken, from small and large country houses and cottages to village halls and almshouses, not to mention the numerous repair and remodelling jobs on existing buildings that had become derelict following the social and economic upheavals of industrialisation. The final chapter looks at the late flowering of architectural work in the region during the interwar period and beyond, and the legacy of this important body of work at a local and national level.

Offbeat Cotswolds

Offbeat Cotswolds
Author: Sean Callery
Publisher:
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2019
Genre: Cotswold Hills (England)
ISBN: 9781789727807

A Cotswold Family Life

A Cotswold Family Life
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Publisher: Sphere
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-05-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780751575569

From No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Clare Mackintosh, A Cotswold Family Life is a warm, humorous memoir of family life in the countryside 'Insightful, funny, absorbing' Prue Leith 'Original yet totally recognisable' Katie Fforde 'Sheer bliss!' Jill Mansell 'Heartfelt and poignant' Sunday Express I have always loved the Cotswolds. I think I loved them even before I found them, in that half-formed ideal one has of where to put down roots. Somewhere peaceful, green, where the road meanders between drystone walls and from town to town, and a strip of blue bursts from brook to river and back again. For eight years, Clare Mackintosh wrote for Cotswold Life about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this memoir, she brings together all of those stories - and more - for the first time. From keeping chickens to getting the WI drunk, longing for an Aga to dealing with nits, Clare opens the door to family life with warmth and humour and heart. Have you read Clare Mackintosh's bestselling fiction? A Game of Lies, her new smart and twisty thriller, is out now.

The spoken word

The spoken word
Author: Adam Fox
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2018-07-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526137879

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Discusses the transition from a largely oral to a fundamentally literate society in the early modern period. During this period the spoken word remained of the utmost importance but development of printing and the spread of popular literacy combined to transform the nature of communication. Examines English, Scottish and Welsh Oral culture to provide the first pan-British study of the subject. Covers several aspects of oral culture ranging from tradition, to memories of the civil war, to changing mechanics for the settling of debts. The time-span concentrates on the period 1500-1800 but includes material from outside this time frame, covering a longer chronolgical span than most other studies to show the link between early modern and modern oral and literate cultures.

The Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way
Author: Kev Reynolds
Publisher: Cicerone Press Limited
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2024-02-14
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1787650405

A guidebook to walking the Cotswold Way National Trail between Chipping Camden and Bath. Covering 163km (102 miles) across the Cotswolds National Landscape this straightforward hike takes 2 weeks to walk. The route is presented in 14 stages ranging from 7–17km (4–11 miles) in length. The route is described north to south and an abbreviated route description is also given for those walking the route south to north. Contains step-by-step description of the route alongside 1:100,000 OS maps reproduced at 1:75,000 for better clarity Includes a separate map booklet containing OS 1:25,000 mapping and route line GPX files available to download The book features a facilities planner that highlights information about facilities and public transport along the route Full accommodation listings are included

A Cotswold Village; Or, Country Life and Pursuits in Gloucestershire

A Cotswold Village; Or, Country Life and Pursuits in Gloucestershire
Author: J. Arthur Gibbs
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2023-08-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

J. Arthur Gibbs' 'A Cotswold Village; Or, Country Life and Pursuits in Gloucestershire' is a charming portrayal of rural life in the English countryside. Written in a descriptive and nostalgic style, the book immerses the reader in the daily activities, traditions, and landscapes of a quaint village in Gloucestershire. Gibbs' attention to detail and vivid imagery paint a vivid picture of a bygone era, capturing the essence of a simpler way of life. The depiction of the Cotswold village serves as both a historical document and a work of art, showcasing the beauty and tranquility of rural England. J. Arthur Gibbs, a British author and historian, was deeply connected to the Gloucestershire region, which inspired his writing. His intimate knowledge of the area and its inhabitants shines through in 'A Cotswold Village,' adding depth and authenticity to the narrative. Gibbs' passion for preserving the traditions and values of country life is evident in his poignant portrayal of Gloucestershire's landscape and community. For readers interested in English rural history, cultural heritage, or simply looking to escape to a picturesque setting, 'A Cotswold Village' is a delightful and enlightening read. Gibbs' evocative prose and heartfelt storytelling offer a window into a disappearing world, inviting readers to explore the timeless beauty of the Cotswold countryside.