Offbeat Cotswolds

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Offbeat Cotswolds

Offbeat Cotswolds Guided walking tours of villages and towns in the Cotswolds by a qualified Blue Badge guide for the

03/02/2025

It's snowdrop season in the Cotswolds! Enjoy views of Colesbourne Gardens with its hundreds of varieties of snowdrop, set in grounds with an eerily blue lake. As mentioned in my slot on on Tom Lowe's Radio Winchcombe Saturday morning show.

27/01/2025

The zig-zag, or chevron, pattern of the stonework around this doorway of Woodstock church shows is typical of a Norman design from the 12th century.Find out more on my excellent audio tour of this lovely town, neighbour of Blenheim, available on the terrific VoiceMap app.

20/01/2025

Wooden houses only really need a basic box frame, but owners liked to show their wealth and style with extra flourishes, as here on the main street in Winchcombe. Centuries later, it still looks fab!

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13/01/2025

This is a great example of re-use: a medieval window at Swinbrook Church was shattered by a wartime bomb in 1940. The shards were re-set to create this pleasing sort-of mosaic: a lovely blend of the past and present.

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06/01/2025

Gladys Deacon happily adorns the formal gardens of Blenheim Palace - because she adored the place. Sadly, she stopped adoring the 9th Duke of Marlborough after they married in 1921. Her story includes disastrous plastic surgery, banished dogs and a revolver. Hear more on my tours of Woodstock and Blenheim.

30/12/2024

In case you had forgotten what the sun looks like, here's the one on the gates of All Souls College, Oxford. it's the toughest college to study at. Why? Find out on my tours.

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23/12/2024

It's a bit of a trek from the house to the Column of Victory at Blenheim, so I've saved you the trouble. Carved on the base is the act of parliament giving the estate to John Churchill to reward his 1704 bashing of the French - so he had more than a piece of paper to prove ownership!

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16/12/2024

Mr and Mrs William Grevel have been devout on their memorial brasses in Chipping Campden church for 600 years. You need to ask for a carpet to be moved to see them. it's worth it!

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09/12/2024

This chap has been looking a trifle startled since the 1450s. He is one of many figures carved on the outsid of Winchcombe's lovely church.

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02/12/2024

The pelican is the symbol of Corpus Christi, Oxford. Why? When the college was founded in 1517, the pelican was thought to pierce its own breast with its beak and feed blood to its young, so it was a symbol of Christ sacrificing himself for man.

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18/11/2024

Next time you are in a church, see if you can spot a wheatsheaf motif in the stained glass. If so, you've found one by prolific 19th-century designer Charles Kempe. It's the trademark of his studio, taken from his family coat of arms. This example is in Batsford Church.

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11/11/2024

See if you can spot these carved Seville oranges near Oxford Station. They are on the front of the old marmalade factory named after Frank Cooper - although the recipe was actually from Sarah, his wife.

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05/11/2024

This rather drab memorial links with today's American election. Bear with me: Can you see star and stripes? This floor slab from 1697 in Wyckhamford church remembers Penelope Washington. One of her relations was George Washington, first President of the United States. He followed the family tradition of having a star and stripes on his signet ring, and the design inspired today’s US national flag.

It's one of many American connections in the Cotswolds.

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28/10/2024

Spot the tower! This is the view from my garden on the edge of the Cotswolds. As the trees lose their leaves, our local church re-appears.

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14/10/2024

Smile or a snarl? This lion is on the grave of William Lovell, who died on 13 June, 1455. He is buried in St Kenelm's Church that he built as part of his estate in Minster Lovell. The ruins make for an atmospheric visit - then pop into the church and decide the lion's expression yourself.

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07/10/2024

This chap has helped many a church-goer stay upright(ish) during a long sermon. Misericords are hinged seats that allow choristers to rest a little. This one lurks in Swinbrook Church.

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30/09/2024

The first thing us tour guides are taught it "Look up". Always a good idea in Oxford's 250-year-old covered market - you might catch a sight of Alice, famously created by an Oxford don.

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23/09/2024

Good mourning. This 'weeper' eternally cries over the loss of a loved one in the magnfiicent Cirencester St John the Baptist Church.

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Scenic Upper Slaughter

Steamy action: Hook Norton brewery runs its wonderfully atmospheric steam engine on the first Sunday of each month. This whirring marvel helped the famous brewery produce pints of 'Hooky' from 1899. DM for my tour of Hook Norton and hear about pioneers, pals and pyramids (plus have a pint) #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides @britainsbestguides #Cotswolds #thecotswolds #inthecotswolds #cotswoldcountry #Cotswolds_Culture #lovethecotswolds #englishvillage #hookybrewery #discoverthecotswolds #visitthecotswolds #discovercotswolds #cotswoldslife #cotswoldlife #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswolds #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswoldvillage #visitengland #englishcountryside #walks #staycationuk #travelling_europe #travelling_ #explore_britain_ #traveling_uk #photosofengland #instabritain #europetravel

I like how this fashion display suggests Blenheim Palace is hosting a house party. What do you think? The fashions are by Zandra Rhodes- spot the pink hair! #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides @britainsbestguides #blenheim #blenheimpalace #zandrarhodes #walks #staycationuk #travelling_europe #travelling_ #explore_britain_ #traveling_uk #photosofengland #instabritain #europetravel

What would Consuelo Vanderbilt say? A portrait of the American heiress studies handbags created by British designer Lulu Guinness inside the magnificent Blenheim Palace. Its rooms are hosting fashion displays at the moment. Consuelo married the 9th Duke of Marlborough in a (guess what, unhappy) status-for money deal in 1895. #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides @britainsbestguides #blenheim #luluguinness #staycationuk #travelling_europe #travelling_ #explore_britain_ #traveling_uk #photosofengland #instabritain #europetravel

Chipping Norton market place: where cars now roll, sheep once bleated and stall holders hollered. It was hugely ambitious to create such a big selling space in the 13th century. Find out more on my new audio tour from VoiceMap. #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides #Cotswolds #thecotswolds #inthecotswolds #cotswoldcountry #Cotswolds_Culture #lovethecotswolds #chippingnorton #discoverthecotswolds #visitthecotswolds #discovercotswolds #cotswoldslife #cotswoldlife #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswolds #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds # #visitengland #walks #staycationuk #travelling_europe #travelling_ #explore_britain_ #traveling_uk #photosofengland #instabritain #europetravel #VoiceMap

Revenge! A sheep eats a wolf in a medieval joke set into stone in the porch of Chipping Norton church. Just one of the fun stories in my new audio tour, available from #VoiceMap. #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides #Cotswolds #thecotswolds #inthecotswolds #cotswoldcountry #Cotswolds_Culture #lovethecotswolds #chippingnorton #discoverthecotswolds #visitthecotswolds #discovercotswolds #cotswoldslife #cotswoldlife #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswolds #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #visitengland #walks #staycationuk #travelling_europe #travelling_ #explore_britain_ #traveling_uk #photosofengland #instabritain #europetravel #voicemap #VoiceMap

Thanks to Katharine House Hospice for this video of last weekend's amazing tractor run, where 100 tractors were decked out with lights to create a rural Christmas parade in North Oxfordshire. Donations welcome via the donate button on www.khh.org.uk #offbeatcotswolds #bluebadgeguide #bluebadgeguides #britainsbestguides @britainsbestguides #englishvillage #discoverthecotswolds #visitthecotswolds #discovercotswolds #cotswoldslife #cotswoldlife #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswolds #thecotswolds #your_cotswolds #cotswoldvillage #visitengland #englishcountryside

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