The golden Cotswold stone of Stow on the Wold

Market Square, Stow on the Wold - that church tower is St Edward's

Oh dear, I have been so busy lately that only now am I catching up with the pictures from my January jaunt to Stow on the Wold in north-east Gloucestershire.

Stow means “place”, or “holy place”, and wold just means “hill”. The settlement’s first name was St Edward’s Stow and the main church and town hall still bear his name.

The whole town is built of glorious golden Cotswold stone, a yellow oolitic limestone dating from Jurassic times 150 million years ago.

The area around Stow has been settled since at least the Iron Age, but it really took off when the Norman lords saw its potential. The first official weekly market was set up here by Henry I in 1107.

The Bell Inn on the edge of Stow on the Wold

We parked at Maugersbury Road car park, which was fine, although I see now it is recommended that you use a car park next to the Tesco superstore in Fosse Way (Stow is beside the old Roman road of that name). We never even saw the superstore…

Old houses in Stow on the Wold

From the car park we walked up the slight hill of Park Street to the town centre. Later we returned here to have a pretty good lunch at the Old Butcher’s restaurant – a bit expensive, but good modern fare. I particularly liked my starter – smoked eel risotto.

Park Street, Stow on the Wold

Park Street, Stow on the Wold

Modern houses (I think) in Park Street, Stow on the Wold - new homes are still made out of the local Cotswold stone

Park Street, Stow on the Wold - although you can't see it, the Old Butcher's restaurant is on the right...

Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire - can anyone identify this church for me? It's at the junction of Sheep Street and Digby Street...

The centre of Stow is full of very old inns and coaching houses, which is not surprising as it stands at the confluence of several main roads across the country.

In the Middle Ages the Cotswolds produced the best wool in Europe and the monasteries raised big flocks of large native sheep known as “Cotswold lions”. Apparently they had long, golden fleeces.

I guess it goes with the landscape – golden soil, golden stone, golden sheep…

The Royalist Hotel, Stow on the Wold, is possibly the oldest building in the town, with beams dating from Saxon times...

The last battle of the English Civil War was fought near Stow in the spring of 1646, the Royalists losing to the Parliamentarians (Roundheads).

The King's Arms Hotel & Posting House, Stow on the Wold

The White Hart inn at Stow on the Wold

The White Hart inn at Stow on the Wold

The Old Stocks Hotel at Stow on the Wold

It’s a bit of a shame there is so much street car parking in the centre of the town, which spoils the view! But then, this is obviously a busy, practical place for the local residents as well as tourists. This was January, so it must be heaving in the high season of summer.

Digbeth Street, Stow on the Wold

Digbeth Street, Stow on the Wold

Stow on the Wold has many small shops, generally of the “gift” sort. The most familiar to me is Scotts of Stow, a homeware company whose mail-order catalogues you will find falling out of many a colour magazine.

I didn’t see many (any?) butchers, greengrocers, bakers etc, but maybe that’s the situation in many small towns these days, when there is a big supermarket like Tesco’s nearby.

Market Square, Stow on the Wold - and a Scotts of Stow shop on the right

St Edward's Hall, Stow, was built in 1878

St Edward's Hall, Stow on the Wold

St Edward's Hall, Stow on the Wold

St Edward's Hall, Stow on the Wold

Stow on the Wold is full of little gift shops

More golden walls of Stow on the Wold

Stow on the Wold

The Cotswold Sweet Company in Stow on the Wold

There’s more about the history of Stow on the Wold here .

There’s also the Cotswolder travel guide and then of course there’s the Wikipedia page.