Pictures of Northleach

About Northleach

This elegant cotswold town is dominated by the great church of St.Peter and St.Paul, a building of the 15th-century that owes its splendour to the wealth garnered from the woollen industry in medieval times. Northleach, has roots that stretch back to the 8th-century, the village grew, and was granted a charter by Henry III in the 13th-century which gave the town a market and the right to hold an annual fair. The fair, known as the Charter Fair, is still held on the last weekend in June and attracts visitors from far and wide. The town quickly developed as a great market town and drew respect from all over Europe as a major centre for the woollen trade.

The town is utterly beguiling, it has many beautiful old timber frame cottages and some handsome houses of mellow cotswold stone. It has it's share of 'showpiece' properties, which include the stunning half-timbered Sherbourne Arms and the Red Lion pub, both are located in the market place.

John Forety, a wealthy wool merchant from the 15th-century is responsible for much of the beauty of the local church, his money paid for the building of the clerestory over the chancel arch and his brass is in the floor of the nave. The church is large and impressive, some say it is the most beautiful of all the 'woollen churches' and it is sometimes called 'The Cathedral of the Cotswolds' it has a lofty west tower and a fine south porch with pinnacles and niches filled with statues. The church is adorned with some glorious stained glass windows and included in it's treasures is a font from the 14th-century and a 'Goblet' pulpit. This church is fascinating, it is a constant source of amazement that is at times, simply overwhelming.

In the 18th-century, the town which is at a cross roads just off the Fosse Way was an important staging post for coach travel. Visitors stopped here to rest and change horses. These days, visitors still come to rest but it is the modern motor car that brings them, a vehicle that somehow looks out of tune with the mellow delights of Northleach - it's magnificent church and cherished medieval properties. A visit here will provide you with lasting memories of both