Cowley, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Cowley is a village and civil parish
in the Cotswold District
of Gloucestershire
in England
. It lies between the A417 and A435 road
s between Cheltenham
and Cirencester
in the Churn Valley
, and has a population of 333. The name originates from 'cow' and 'leigh', literally meaning cow pasture.
Its main features are Cowley Manor which was owned by the Horlicks family and is currently being used as a country hotel. The local parish church of St. Mary lies next to the Manor and dates from the 12th century. The village pub is the Green Dragon which is not far from the Gloucestershire Girlguide HQ, Deerpark.
Cowley also has a strong Sunday cricket team, which plays at the nice ground towards the west side of the village near the Green Dragon pub.
The village used to own its own village hall (which used to be the old school house), however the parish council have sold this in recent years and it has been converted into a private residence.
Considering that it has a pub, hotel, church, and Girlguide HQ Cowley still can boast a post box and telephone box as the only forms of public amenities. The local town and shops are in Cheltenham, and many people who live in the village work in Cheltenham, even though Cirencester is only 30 mins drive away.
The village consists of approximately 40 houses and they are scattered around a circular road that curls up the edge of a small valley and then runs back down the bottom of the v shape. The 'back lane' has only two houses on it compared to the higher lane that holds most of the residents. Further up the small valley is a collection of three houses on a hilltop. One knows when they are entering Cowley from the A453 as they enter through two large pillars, either side of the road entrance, existing from the entrance of the Cowley Manor estate and the road is beautiful on any sunny day as the long avenue of Lime trees splinter the light across the road.
Attractions around the area include Cirencester, Crickley Hill Country Park, and Cheltenham.
The village is very popular with ramblers and general Cotswold visitors. Many of the residents are not local to the area anymore, but have settled in the village due to its quick connections to London.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Cotswold District
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies between the A417 and A435 road
A435 road
The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
s between Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
in the Churn Valley
River Churn
The River Churn is one of the Cotswold rivers that feeds into the River Thames catchment. It arises at Seven Springs near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England and flows south across the Cotswold dip slope, passing through Cirencester and joining the River Thames near Cricklade in Wiltshire...
, and has a population of 333. The name originates from 'cow' and 'leigh', literally meaning cow pasture.
Its main features are Cowley Manor which was owned by the Horlicks family and is currently being used as a country hotel. The local parish church of St. Mary lies next to the Manor and dates from the 12th century. The village pub is the Green Dragon which is not far from the Gloucestershire Girlguide HQ, Deerpark.
Cowley also has a strong Sunday cricket team, which plays at the nice ground towards the west side of the village near the Green Dragon pub.
The village used to own its own village hall (which used to be the old school house), however the parish council have sold this in recent years and it has been converted into a private residence.
Considering that it has a pub, hotel, church, and Girlguide HQ Cowley still can boast a post box and telephone box as the only forms of public amenities. The local town and shops are in Cheltenham, and many people who live in the village work in Cheltenham, even though Cirencester is only 30 mins drive away.
The village consists of approximately 40 houses and they are scattered around a circular road that curls up the edge of a small valley and then runs back down the bottom of the v shape. The 'back lane' has only two houses on it compared to the higher lane that holds most of the residents. Further up the small valley is a collection of three houses on a hilltop. One knows when they are entering Cowley from the A453 as they enter through two large pillars, either side of the road entrance, existing from the entrance of the Cowley Manor estate and the road is beautiful on any sunny day as the long avenue of Lime trees splinter the light across the road.
Attractions around the area include Cirencester, Crickley Hill Country Park, and Cheltenham.
The village is very popular with ramblers and general Cotswold visitors. Many of the residents are not local to the area anymore, but have settled in the village due to its quick connections to London.