Secret Cottage – Article on Cotswold Dovecotes
We see many fascinating things on our Cotswold day trips and our guests love learning about new things.
This week we’ve seen some stunning examples of dovecotes.
A dovecote is a building for pigeons or doves which contains pigeonholes for the birds to nest.
They come in a variety of designs and structures from cylindrical to hexagonal and were originally used to house the birds for their eggs and meat; as these were an important food source. Some were free standing separate structures or buildings and others were more modest boxes on the walls of barns or houses.
All dovecotes had a few design features to keep the prized birds safe. They were away from large trees and had to be shielded from prevailing weather. In addition, the birds needed to be kept safe from predators with doors that were shut at night time.
Owning a dovecote used to be a status symbol and defined your power. They were mainly built by wealthy people to supply themselves and their households with a luxurious food – the tender meat of young pigeons. But even the bird droppings were prized as a useful fertiliser and feathers were used for stuffing mattresses – nothing was wasted!
Some people believe that the Romans introduced dovecotes to Britain, however, the popular opinion is was the Normans. Nest holes can be seen in 12th century Norman castles such as Rochester Castle in Kent.
According to wikipedia, the earliest surviving, definitely dated free-standing dovecote in England was built in 1326 at Garway in Herefordshire.
Nowadays, the meat and eggs are not so readily used, so we dovecotes more decorative garden feature or by people who keep doves and pigeons as a hobby.
Here are some photos of dovecotes we’ve seen on our Cotswold day trips recently!
Secret Cottage – Magnificent old door in Burford
Secret Cottage recently passed this magnificent old door whilst on one of our Cotswold Day tours in Burford. The door is very ancient and has undergone restoration over the years, rather than being replaced. It’s just one of the gems to be found in this sleepy town that is often referred to as ‘The gateway to the Cotswolds.’
The name Burford is said to mean a defended settlement by a ford. This town is recommended by Secret Cottage, tourists come here on holiday because it’s wealth of heritage and because it’s like stepping back in time.
Burford is about 20 miles west of Oxford on the River Windrush and is surrounded by gentle rolling hills. It’s one of England’s prettiest small medieval towns with around 1000 residents. Fortunately Burford is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which means it is protected.
Burford has a gently sloping broad main High Street which seems to have changed little over time. Full of enticing alleyways and courtyards the town transports you back in time. You can find local arts, antiques, crafts and gifts. You’ll even find the oldest chemist shop in the country!
Burford began as an agricultural village because it’s surrounded by perfect sheep rearing countryside and over time changed to a market town where people could trade everything from wool to weaving to saddles and local stone. The wool trade made Burford one of the four wealthiest towns in the country; the funds of which were used to build one of the largest Cotswold ‘wool churches’ – St. John the Baptist. Work began on the building in 1175 and over the past 800 years the building has been added to, altered and expanded. It’s now a stunning piece of architecture that looks more like a cathedral than a church.
The Oxfordshire Cotswolds are full of beautiful villages such as Great Tew which is totally unique, because there aren’t any new buildings. The pub in village is absolutely fantastic and we recommend booking well in advance.
Britain is full of hidden gems and Great Tew and Burford rank very high on the list. We’ll talk about that another day, for now there are scones to bake in the AGA!
Visit Oxfordshire Tourist Information – Display a COTSWOLD TOUR poster for Secret Cottage
700,000 Cotswolds tourists flock into Visit Oxford Tourist Information Centre every year to see what attractions are available.
So it’s a great place for us to be featured.
Often tourists browse around the information centre not really knowing what they want to do. All they know is they are after a great day out, something memorable, something where they’ll learn new things, see stunning scenery, enjoy good food, meet new people and can relax knowing everything is taken care of.
That’s where we come in with our Cotswolds Tour!
Tourists that are interested in the 6 hour tour by Secret Cottage, take the train from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh. They are met there by minibus and are bought to Secret Cottage for morning coffee, lunch and a Traditional English Cotswold Cream Tea.
During the day we visit hidden villages that are inaccessible by public transport, this is what makes our tour – a tour with a difference.
Many tourists comment on how quickly the day goes and compliment us on how we’ve structured the tour so that periodically we return to Secret Cottage for refreshments. Being stuck on a minibus for six hours non stop wouldn’t suit everybody. By basing yourself at Secret Cottage the tour is far more enjoyable.
We pride ourselves on providing a truly professional service and are recommended by concierges, hotels, b&b’s, travel companies, newspapers, magazines, embassies, Cotswold Tourism and Visit Oxfordshire.
If you’re one of the 700,000 Cotswolds Tourists visiting the area, why not book your tour now? We’d love to show you around this beautiful part of Britain and invite you into our private home so you can spend the day with us.
Secret Cottage drives through Adlestrop on a tour of the Cotswolds
If you’re looking for a picture-perfect Cotswold Tourism attraction, Adlestrop is another small village in the heart of the Cotswolds that we, and our guests, love!
You’ll find the village just off the road from Chipping Norton to Stow on the Wold. The village has a population of just 80 residents and lies on the edge of Britain’s largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The location is peaceful and renowned for its countryside. Adlestrop provides a welcome break for walkers who enjoy the breathtaking views and nature trails this area has to offer. The area is popular with walkers because two footpaths pass through.
It’s so peaceful in fact, that one of Britain’s favourite poems “Adlestrop” was written by Edward Thomas in 1914. He was on a rather dull train journey when the train made an unscheduled stop in Adlestrop. Even though he never stepped off the train, the serenity and tranquillity touched him so much he put pen to paper! Although the railway station is no longer open, the local bus shelter contains a bench that was on the platform and now has a plaque on it quoting the poem.
There much be something magical about this place because it’s believed that the house and grounds of Adlestrop Park inspired Jane Austen – becoming the setting for Mansfield Park.
Adlestrop has all you need for a closely knit community – post office and store, village hall, church, cricket pitch and even a fishing lake! Every year the village hosts an Open Day where you can visit private gardens and enjoy lunch and tea at the village hall. You’ll find stalls, amusements and a fun dog show.
Have a read of the poem and I think you’ll understand why Edward Thomas ended up putting Adlestrop on the map for Cotswold Tourism!
Adlestrop
Yes. I remember Adlestrop
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat, the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.
The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop—only the name
And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.
And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire
Secret Cottage Tour visits Broadway Tower
Today, on our tour of the Cotswolds we visited Broadway Tower which is a fascinating folly situated on Broadway Hill.
In case you’re wondering what a folly is, it’s defined as “a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.”
Broadway Tower is styled in the form of a castle and is the second highest point in the Cotswolds. Its base is 1024 feet above sea level.
The Tower was the brainchild of the great 18th Century landscape designer, Capability Brown. His vision was carried out for George William 6th Earl of Coventry with the help of renowned architect James Wyatt and completed in 1798. The tower is built on a ‘beacon’ hill where beacons were lit on special occasions. Apparently Lady Coventry, who lived 22 miles away, wondered if a beacon lit on Broadway Hill could be seen from her house and financed the construction of the folly to find out.
The location for the Tower was wisely chosen, a dramatic outlook on a pre-medieval trading route and beacon hill.
Wyatt designed his “Saxon Tower” as an eccentric amalgamation of architectural components ranging from turrets, battlements and gargoyles to balconies.
Throughout the centuries, Broadway Tower has always inspired and with this inspiration came a large number of uses. One example is as home to the printing press of Sir Thomas Phillips, perhaps the greatest collector of manuscripts and books in history. Indeed it was whilst staying at Broadway Tower that William Morris started his campaign for the preservation of historic monuments and founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877.
Members of the Arts and Crafts movement used Broadway Tower as a holiday retreat. Pre-Raphaelite artists William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones were frequent visitors. Now the tower is a tourist attraction with a gift shop, restaurant and which houses many exhibitions throughout the year. And there are, of course, breath taking views from the roof. As we shared on another post about ourCotswold Tour, it is reported that you can see 16 counties from the top of the tower, which must surely be a record!
Visitors on our tour of the Cotswolds, agreed the views were stunning and some of them spotted deer too! Secret Cottage Tour passes the entrance to Sudeley Castle in the sunny Cotswolds
We had a Cotswold Tourist on board today who was fascinated when we passed the entrance to Sudeley Castle & Gardens near Winchcombe; just eight miles from Broadway. The castle is a grade I listed building and is unusual because it’s one of the few in England still with a residence and the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds. Lady Ashcombe and her two children – Henry and Mollie – live there. The castle has been open to the public since 1969; with further rooms opened up earlier this year. This allows you to walk in the footsteps of kings and queens including Richard III, Elizabeth I and Lady Jane Grey. It’s best not to turn up without checking first, as its only open on certain days.
The castle has a rich history; believed to have been built on the site of a 12th century castle. The sixth wife of Henry VIII, Queen Katherine Parr, is buried there in the chapel and some say she haunts the place, having seen ‘a tall woman wearing a green Tudor styled dress’. Sudeley is famed for its textile collection, spanning 400 years, called The Threads of Time exhibition; said to be one of the finest in the country. On your walk around the castle you might see Katherine Parr’s love letters, Anne Boleyn’s lacework or Charles I despatch box.
Throughout the year regular events are held including jazz performances, family fun days, picnics and talks. In addition it’s used for high profile events – yet another reason not to turn up without prior checking! In 2007, English actress Elizabeth Hurley was married there. Some believe that Sudeley was the inspiration for Blandings Castle in the novels by P. G. Wodehouse. Outside; set in a breathtaking 1,200 acre estate, the castle boasts nine world famous and award winning gardens which provide colour and variety throughout the seasons. At the centre is the Queens Garden filled with roses reportedly admired by four of England’s Queens. The Knot Garden, containing over 1200 box hedges, is based on a dress pattern worn by Elizabeth I while the herb garden is filled with plants that have been cultivated for the medicinal properties for thousands of years.
If you’re a Cotswold Tourist and fancy a day out with a difference, why not book our Secret Cottage Tour? You never know what you might see!
Editorial for Secret Cottage in The British Traveler
Steve runs a popular website called “The British Traveller”.
As the name suggests it’s all about British Travel, but it has a very special audience.
His site is designed to help US residents plan and book their vacation to London and the UK, so it’s an incredibly valuable resource.
Steve recommends only a limited number of exceptional places to stay and visit – selecting the best of the best. He’s personally stayed in many of the properties and his site is filled with insider tips on what to do and see in all the major counties and cities in the UK. We were delighted that he showcased our Cotswolds day trip to his site visitors. Here’s how the Secret Cottage page entry looked:
The British Traveller – Secret Cottage
All year round, unique North Cotswold six hour tour that takes you to Secret Cottage for coffee, lunch and a cream tea. During the day we’ll show you lots of picturesque hidden villages that most tourists rarely find.An unforgettable tour – with a difference.
See how an English family live in the Cotswolds. Warm yourself by log fires, relax in the wild garden, explore the heavily beamed 400 year old cottage with its elm floors and staircases, admire the interior designed Elizabethan paint effects, view our collection of paintings, sit in antique furniture and be surprised by the unusual cellar.
Watch your food being prepared and cooked in the Aga, especially the scones that are essential for your traditional cream tea.
No tour is ever the same, depending on the time of year, we may take you to a village Fete, watch Morris Dancers at a local pub, see the local Hunt Meet on Boxing Day, visit a farmers market, watch a Duck Race, spot David Cameron the Prime Minister cycling to the pub or shopping in our local town, drop in on a car boot sale at a Stately Home, drive through Lavender fields, take pictures of The Rollright Stones, visit Christmas Fairs, look inside a Dovecote ……….
You’ll not forget your tour which is packed with plenty of surprises. We pick you up in Moreton-in-Marsh railway station at 10.15 and drop you back at 16.30. The cost is £85.
The Cotswolds are popular all year round. Please see the attached photos of a roaring log fire and a delicious traditional cream tea.
Please call Becky on +44 (0) 1608 674700, email at [email protected] for further details or visit www.secretcottage.co.uk
More editorial for Secret Cottage in the Gloucestershire Echo
Gloucestershire Echo is a local newspaper covering Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and surrounding villages.
Their WEEKEND magazine, put together by a team of five, was shortlisted in the Supplement of the Year category of the Society of Editors’ Regional Press Awards. And we were thrilled to be featured in the magazine recently.
The magazine has a wide range of lifestyle articles covering health and fitness, food, travel and fashion.
Here’s what editor Helen Blow had to say about the Cotswold day trips we offer our guests:
Interiors: Spend a day at the Cotswolds’ Secret Cottage
Owner Becky Simpson. Pictures: Kevin Fern The bathroom
Stay cosy in front of a roaring fire
Becky’s collection of wooden shore birds
You can live in an area all your life and yet still find hidden corners that you never knew existed.The Cotswolds has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to chocolate box villages and stunningly pretty views.
Once you get into the countryside, it seems whichever way you turn, you will come across scenes that take your breath away.
When Becky Simpson and her husband, Robin, moved into their very own picture postcard cottage five years ago, they realised they had a hidden gem that would appeal to tourists.
Tucked away in one of those quintessential Cotswold villages completely off the beaten track, Becky knew it was the kind of place visitors would love to visit.
“Whenever we used to look round places, I would say to Robin how much I’d love to be able to go into some of the homes to see what they were like inside,” said Becky.
“And I know how much some tourists love traditional English villages, particularly those from places like the USA and Japan.”
She came up with the idea of running tours from the thatched cottage for tourists, which would include visiting nearby places off the beaten track, as well as the chance to experience life in a real Cotswold cottage. So she started Secret Cottage and now spends most weeks acting as host and guide for groups of tourists based at her home near Moreton-in-Marsh.
Becky collects small groups from the station before bringing them back to her cottage for the day, with lunch and cream teas, interspersed with short tours to hidden spots nearby.
“Some of the villages and beauty spots near where we live are out of this world but probably unknown and unvisited by most people, so it really is a special tour,” she said.
But it is probably her 400-year-old cottage that remains as a special memory for most visitors after they return home.
With its low, wooden-beamed ceilings, stone mullion windows, winding wooden staircases and hidden corners, all surrounded by pretty gardens, Secret Cottage is the image that most people would conjure up if asked to describe their archetypal English country cottage.
“When we moved here we realised that this is a very special village and we had tourists passing by, peering into the property, trying to get a closer look,” said Becky.
“We have turned that into a business, offering exactly that; the chance to spend a day in a Cotswold country cottage.”
From tea and cakes in front of a roaring fire and lunch by the Aga to cream teas taken outside among the flowers and trees, it is a day that visitors will remember long after the holiday itself has faded.
Secret Cottage is just that. Even from the lane outside there is very little of the house you can actually see until you make your way up the stone pathway to the front door. A wooden door leads you into the spacious kitchen, dominated by a large wooden table and pale yellow Aga, where Becky bakes the scones for the cream teas and prepares the lunches. A doorway leads into one of several living rooms that lead on from each other on the ground floor, each separated by a low door archway that the taller among us have to stoop slightly to get through.
Both Becky and Robin are on the tall side but say they are used to bending at various points in the cottage and it doesn’t bother them.
“Friends who visit us sometimes ask how we can live with the low ceilings and doorways, but we love it,” said Robin. “It’s so cosy in here during the colder months, when we sit in front of a roaring fire with the flames flickering off the walls.”
The couple are avid collectors of Folk Art, items made to be practical rather than just decorative, and their pieces include a collection of cricket tables, weather vanes and wooden shore birds.
“Cricket tables were used in old taverns where the floors were uneven,” said Becky. “They are very heavy tables with three legs that would remain steady despite the crooked floors.”
Becky’s collection of shore birds comes from trips to France and they include a curlew, waders and several pigeons.
Other pieces of furniture, including chairs and cupboards, are also fine examples of primitive or ‘naive’ art – art that is classified by its simplicity or child-like subject matter and technique.
Two rooms are dominated by massive stone fireplaces and the couple make the most of this feature by surrounding them with comfy armchairs and sofas and lamps.
One of the most surprising features of the old house is in fact no more than a few years old. Becky pulled up a rug in the kitchen to reveal a door flush to the floor, which reveals a hidden cellar.
“We had this dug out when we moved in,” she said. “It goes three metres down and we use it as a storeroom.”
A spiral staircase leads down into the depths of the ground and the perfectly round walls are completely lined with shelves from top to bottom.
“When the workmen dug down, the hole filled up with water and they had to set up a pump to keep the water at bay.”
Upstairs there are four bedrooms as well as a substantial back storeroom and bathroom, and further up into the eaves and another staircase is Robin’s study.
Outside the garden is another treasure of the cottage, which Becky keeps looking trim.
“We were lucky that it was mature when we bought the cottage and we’ve just had to keep it trimmed and pull up the weeds,” she said.
Visitors can take tea on the lawn or sitting on wooden garden chairs on the patio in fine weather.
“Between the refreshments we run short tours to picturesque hidden villages that most tourists rarely find,” said Becky.
“They can vary from visiting a village fete and watching Morris dancers at a local pub to visiting a farmers’ market and watching a duck race.”
The six-hour tour begins and ends at Moreton-in-Marsh railway station, where Becky picks up their visitors in a minibus in the morning and drops them back off in the late afternoon.
“Since we started the tours, they have become amazingly popular and we get visitors from all over the world,” she said.
“We also get lots from the UK, including people who don’t live that far away but want to discover more about the area around them.”
Tours cost £85 per person, including all refreshments and tours.
Secret Cottage tour went to Stow-on-the Wold to see the old penal stocks
Today, on our Cotswolds driving tour, we visited the old penal stocks in the square at Stow-on-the-Wold which are now a famous Cotswold landmark.
Ancient and historic Stow on-the Wold is aptly named as it literally means it was built on top of the wolds (the world ‘wold’ means hill)! It is the highest town in the Cotswolds standing 800 feet above sea level.
But it wasn’t always called the same name. Stow on the Wold was originally named after the town’s patron Saint and was called Stow St Edward or Edwardstow and was probably founded in the 11th century.
The centre of Stow has a remarkably large and impressive market square. Markets have regularly taken place in Stow since 1107 when King Henry II granted a charter. Stow is an ancient Cotswold Wool Town and the lively market square was built to protect people from prevailing winds and rain while they traded their goods.
Since 1476 there have been two annual trade fairs held every 12 May and 24 October. These coincide with the dates for the feast of Saints Philip and James and the feast of St. Edward the Confessor. Back in the 15th century these fairs allowed people from the surrounding hills to bring their sheep to be sold; with around 20,000 sold on a good day.
Over time, the importance of sheep declined and the fair became a horse fair. The two annual Gypsy horse fairs still take place today – and on the same original days. The Gypsy horse fair is one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in England. The fair attracts many visitors who love the colourful, atmospheric event and enjoy seeing the horses with their painted wagons.
The market square and green still have the original village penal stocks which we visited today. Stocks have been used since the medieval days to humiliate and punish those who had committed crimes. They were deliberately situated in the most public places within the town such as the market place as humiliation was one of the main aspects of the punishment.
Stocks hold their victim in place by their wrists and / or ankles so they are trapped and at the mercy of the passing crowd. People were allowed to inflict whatever they chose on the victims from insults to throwing rubbish to kicking, spitting and even tickling their feet! As the perpetrators of these crimes were left out all night with little food, they may have died from heat exhaustion, hypothermia or disease.
Our visitors are constantly amazed by the unique things they see on their Cotswolds driving tour with us! Secret Cottage – History of the traditional cream tea
So, where did the history of traditional English afternoon tea begin?
There is no more quintessential British ritual than the ceremony and serving of Afternoon tea. It is believed that credit for the custom goes to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford in the early 19th century. The usual habit of serving dinner between 8 and 9 pm left the Duchess hungry and with a ‘sinking feeling’ by late afternoon. To stave off the hunger, she would order tea, bread and butter and cakes to be served in her room. Later on she would invite friends to join her at her home and the light tea was such a success the habit caught on.
The Duchess continued the custom on returning to London and soon the ‘At Home’ tea evolved which quickly spread throughout England. Announcements about tea were sent to relatives and friends stating at what hour the tea would be served. Sometimes entertainment was provided but more often it was simply conversation and a little idle gossip over tea and cakes. If ‘At Home’ notices were received the guest was expected to attend, unless of course, regrets were sent. There was at least one person holding an at home each day and social ties were quickly established with women seeing each other so regularly.
The taking of tea gradually spread from the home and out into society in general. Tea Parties became the norm and Tea Rooms, and Tea Gardens quickly sprang up everywhere.
During the Edwardian period, the ‘At Home’ faded as the desire to travel increased. Tea was now served at four o’ clock in the new tea lounges of luxury hotels, the Ritz being one of the most famous, and high-end stores such as Fortnum and Mason and was often accompanied by light music and sometimes even a little dancing. Tea dances became something of phenomenon and lasted until well after the Second World War, but then gradually disappeared. Like Afternoon Tea itself, there is now a huge revival of the tea dance throughout the UK and Ireland and being enjoyed by all ages.
Today, at Cotswold Tourism Tours, Secret Cottage serves a traditional cream tea when locals and tourists take a tour of the Cotswolds. We pick you up from Moreton-in-Marsh railway station at 10.15 for you day tour lasting six hours, during the trip you’ll see lots of beautiful hidden villages and during the day you’ll visit Secret Cottage for morning coffee with pastries, lunch and a traditional cream tea served in the afternoon. This unique experience has never been offered before in the Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire counties of England.