An A - Z illustrated guide to what you can see in the Cotswolds, with word and pen the Author describes this wonderful part of England. From the strange sounding Cotswold towns and villages such as Acton Turville and Wyck Rissington with this guide you will be shown sides of the Cotswolds that the average visitor often misses, the text is brought to life with well over 100 pen and ink sketches of Gargoyles and Hobbit like church entrances, Public monuments to medieval punishment tools, Castles to Magic stones, a life time of local knowledge has gone into this book. This book is dedicated to the memory of a great Cotswold artist 'Peter Reardon' Many people will remember seeing Peter's work not only in many Cotswold books, but also as regular features in local newspapers. The poem on the back cover The Cotswolds' is a special creation for us by Cotswold poet and family friend Alfred King This book is not only a great guide to the Cotswolds, but a real product of this wonderful part of England, as it has been written, illustrated, designed, printed and published all within the Cotswold area. The Cotswolds The beauty of the Cotswolds is not new. It is not something that has just come about recently. It is, you might even say, as old as the hills themselves. To the visitor from other parts, it has a unique splendor all it's own. To those fortunate enough to live here, it is seen in a different way. Through the ages this beauty has been captured by the artist's brush, the pen of the writer and in more recent times, the camera lens of the photographer. There are many fine paintings in existence of the great country houses in wonderful settings, and much has been written of the towns and villages of the Cotswolds. But it is not only beauty to be found in these hills, they are rich in history also. The Romans came, stayed a while and then left. They were about the first to leave us monuments of their advanced way of life that we can understand today. Then came the Saxons, the Danes and the Normans. Each left something by which to remember them. In more recent times great houses have been built and are there for all to see, each giving something to history and in particular, the Cotswolds. Some of these features have been included in this book, so that you can be acquainted in words and pictures, with but a few of the details that make up the wonderful story of these hills. The Cotswolds intriguing, majestic, even cruel in its own way. There is a bigness that is breathtaking, especially during the summer, a loneliness that can be frightening during the winter, but always a grandeur, as powerful as an exciting tale that not one little bit must be missed. Perhaps early man found the excitement of these hills a good reason for settling in them. They offered a natural fortification in many instances for settlements, often with views over the valley of the Severn, where animals could be hunted and fish caught in the river. There were also numerous small rivers which offered fish, water and game. It is hoped that your visit to the Cotswolds will be most enjoyable, and if, with the help of these pages, more memorable, then the object of this publication will have been achieved.