1/2  Local guides A guide to... & Nearby

Take a leisurely drive out from in almost any direction and in a just a few minutes you’ll reach a ring of perfect picture postcard satellite villages, home to village greens, fetes and festivals, ancient churches and welcoming pubs.

To the North of the Swindon, heading into South Oxfordshire and South Gloucester and to the East into Berkshire (as Swindon is positioned very neatly on the border of them all), you’ll be looking at Highworth, Blunsdon, Lechlade, Fairford, Shrivenham, Liddington, Faringdon, Stanton Fitzwarren, Longcot, Watch eld, Hannington, and Ashbury among others. These beautiful villages which epitomise the typically English rural idyll, attract homebuyers from across the UK, looking for their ideal ‘escape to the country’.

Your pick of property styles In these pretty villages, you’ll mostly be of ’. Lechlade, a tiny bit further on in looking at character period properties - rose South Gloucestershire is a beautiful town, clad thatched cottages, old stone detached with a colourful heritage, buzzing with farmhouses and quirky terraces dating back narrowboats and small craft heading o down to the 18th century. There’s also a great mix the Thames to London as they have done for of contemporary barn conversions, with lots hundreds of years. of land for the growing family – and horses! Preserving the unique character of these Green Spaces – small villages is of paramount importance. Discover, Explore, Enjoy! Faringdon has a new development built in These small towns and villages are nestled the last 5-10 years and Shrivenham is also in magni cent rolling countryside and to developing an enclave of high quality new the east of , where it meets South homes to complement the style of the village. Oxfordshire, the ‘White Horse Downs’ are History and heritage part of the North Wessex Downs , an Area of Visit richardjames.info Outstanding Natural Beauty. Walking, horse- These thriving villages, with their friendly riding, dog walking, paragliding, boating, for more local guides spirit of community, have been part of the quad-biking, swimming – outdoor pursuits colourful and rich fabric of Wiltshire for are the order of the day. Community life is centuries. Highworth has been a settlement often centred around the pub, church, village for over 4000 years with archaeological green or market square, where having fun remains dating back to the Bronze Age. John with country living is celebrated. Or you can Betjeman wrote ‘Highworth is extraordinary just sit quietly and sip a G&T in your own because it has more beautiful buildings than country garden! ugly ones…it is one of the most charming and unassuming country towns in the west Old Town Town Centre Wroughton West Swindon Highworth East Swindon richardjames.info 2/2  Local guides A guide to... Highworth & Villages

Schools Highworth Pre-School Vorda Preschool & Nursery Eastrop Infants School Westrop Primary School Bridlewood Primary School South eld Junior School Highworth Warneford School (secondary) Photography by Naomi Youd Naomi by Photography

Transport – Get there A regular bus service through Highworth into Swindon every 15 minutes. Other villages have regular bus services into Swindon or onto other towns. The A419 will take you from Blunsdon to Cirencester; the A361 will take you from Highworth to Lechlade and on to the stunning Cotswolds; and the A420 takes Council Tax you through Shrivenham and up to Oxford. Band Amount

A £919.17 Lifestyle – Shop, B £1,072.36 Eat, Drink, Share C £1,225.56 There’s a great mix of local shops, great pubs, artisan businesses, restaurants, outstanding D £1,378.75 schools and the odd antique emporium or E two! Highworth, Faringdon, Shrivenham, £1,685.14 Lechlade and Fairford, the biggest centres F £1,991.52 have post o ces and large grocery stores. There’s everything you need for village G £2,297.92 living and for bigger shops, Swindon and Cirencester are equi-distant, 15 minutes by H £2,757.50 car. Prices correct as of May 2014. For up to date Oops! charges please visit www.swindon.gov.uk If we’ve missed anything, please contact our Highworth O ce on 01793 765 292 and we’ll be happy to help with any information you need.

Old Town Town Centre Wroughton West Swindon Highworth East Swindon richardjames.info