The market town of Stow-on-the-Wold stands high up in the Cotswold's on top of a prominent hill -750 ft - and can be seed for many miles. The town is sited where several important, ancient roads and trackways meet; the Roman Fosse Way (now the A429) crosses the Old Cotswold Ridgeway and meets the Evesham - Burford road (the A424) which may have been the old saltway from Droitwich. The monks of Evesham (the Lords of the Manor) sort to exploit the commercial possibilities of this major road junction. The town was layed out on the eastern side of the Fosse Way in the 11th century; the town was also known as Stow St.Edward or Edwardstow - Stow in Old English means "Holy Place" and Wold is a Hill. Henry 1 granted a charter in 1107 to run a market and in 1476 the town was licenced to operate two five-day markets one in May and the other in October. The town was originally built round a large market place, rectangular in shape with one of the longer sides against the churchyard. The town`s wealth was wool and sheep from the surrounding hills were brought to the fairs with several thousand being traded per day. The narrow alleyways that lead off the market square - call Tures - were built to control the flow of the animals as they were hearded to market. Many of the houses were built in the 16th century out of the mellow Cotswold limestone, one of the oldest is the "Crooked House" of c1450. The Kings Arms in the square dates back to the 16th century, King Charles 1 stayed here in 1645 and Stow was the scene of the last major engagement of the Civil War, in March 1646 when Sir William Brereton`s Parliamentary army overwhelmed the Royalists under the command of Lord Astley and some 1600 prisoners were taken, most held in the Parish Church of St.Edward. The church dates from the 11th century with later additions and repair work, the tower was completed in 1447. The importance of Stow as a major crossroads is shown by the number of Inns that were in the town; in 1381 brewing or inn-keeping seems to have been the largest single trade and in the Royalist Arms has one of the oldest in England with an Inn occupying the site since 947. The market square suffered continual encroachment and steps were taken towards tidying it up, St.Edwards Hill was built and the town Cross restored. In 1901 the 16th century Court House was demolished and replaced by a new shop building and further expansions to the town took place in the 1930`s and 1960`s. Today Stow-on-the-Wold is host to visitors from all over the world ready to explore the narrow alleys and tures, take afternoon tea or, browse around in one of the antique shops but all to soak-up the atmosphere of this lovely Cotswold town
Attraction
Cotswold Safaris
Donnington Trout Farm
Toy Museum
Cottage
Exbridg
Flagstone Farm Holiday Cottages
The Drey
The Oaks
The Warren
Dentist
Doctor
Farmers Market
Stow on the Wold Farmers Market
Inn
Grapevine Hotel
Kings Arms Hotel
Kings Head Inn & Restaurant
Unicorn Hotel (The)
White Hart Inn
Pub and Bar
Eagle and Child
Fox
Kings Head Inn & Restaurant
Unicorn Hotel (The)
Restaurant
Conservatory Restaurant (Stow)
Eagle and Child
Fosse Manor Hotel
Hamilton's Brasserie
Old Butchers
Wyck Hill House
Self-Catering
Flagstone Farm Holiday Cottages
Jay Barn
Taxi
Sports Clubs
Stow on the Wold CC (Cricket)
Stow RFC (Rugby Union)
Shops
The Borzoi Bookshop
Floreo
Cotswold Frock Shop
Daisy Dix
Hardcastle Williams
Herrings Shoes Ltd
The Stow Leather Shop
Red Bag Gallery
Susan Megson Gallery
The Organic Shop
Toad in the Wold
New England Coffee House
St Edwards Cafe
The Old Bakery Tea Rooms
Lambournes Family Butchers
Stow Pharmacy
Cotswold Sweet Co
The Honey Pot
Miette's Chocolate Kitchen
North Cotswold Bakery
Hamptons Delicatessen
Haynes, Hanson & Clark
Stow Roses
Cotswold Flowers
The Court Collection
All Of My Heart Ltd
Ancestral Collections
Stow Fly Fishing Ltd
As Long As It Sparkles
The Little Black Dress Boutique
Antiques
Antony Preston Antiques Ltd
Baggott Church Street Ltd
Keith Hockin Antiques
Wyndhams
Wychwood Books
Places to Stay near Stow On The Wold
Unicorn Hotel (The) (0.09 miles)
The Unicorn Hotel is a 17th century coaching inn with honey stone walls and flower boxes. Set in the beautiful rolling Cotswold countryside, we are located on the Roman Fosseway which runs ... More
Chure House (0.14 miles)
Royalist Hotel (0.15 miles)
The Royalist was established in 947 and its claim to be the oldest Inn in Britain is confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records. Historical features include witches marks, a leper hole and the remains ... More | visit website
Grapevine Hotel (0.19 miles)
The Grapevine is an award winning 17th century hotel set in the heart of one of the Cotswolds prettiest villages.
The hotel offers 22 individually furnished rooms, and fine dining by ... More
The Limes (0.31 miles)
Fosse Manor Hotel (0.87 miles)
Located in the heart of the Cotswolds Fosse Manor is a delightful 100 year old country-house hotel set in five acres. This former Rectory belies an interior whose contemporary design creates ... More | visit website
Number Four at Stow (0.87 miles)
Number Four at Stow is a family own and run boutique country house hotel in Stow on the Wold, in the heart of the Cotswolds. The Hotel offers 13 stylish ... More
Woodlands Guest House (1.08 miles)
Aston House (1.43 miles)
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