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Information about Tetbury

Tetbury is located in the Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, and accumulated its wealth as a market town due to its wool trade in the Middle Ages. The Market House in the town centre, with its bulging stone pillars, is a reminder of those times. Plenty of architectural gems can be seen around Tetbury, with many wool merchant houses preserved just as they looked 300 years ago.

The town has a wide range of shops, including several antique and specialist shops, many of which received national awards for excellence and offer the type of personalised customer care long gone from contemporary high streets. Quite a few hold the Royal Warrant and serve the British royal family. Organic produce from Prince Charles’ estate is sold at the popular Highgrove deli, since Highgrove House, the prince’s family home, is located nearby.

Tetbury is also known for an unusual event originated in the 17th century, the Tetbury Woolsack Races, an annual competition where participants carry a 60-pound sack (or 35 pounds for women) of wool up and down a steep hill.

Where to stay in Tetbury

Tetbury and the surrounding towns offer a wide range of accommodation to suit different needs and preferences. Many hotels in Tetbury have won awards and serve excellent food, while bed and breakfasts, pubs, inns and self-catering cottages are also of the highest standard, with many available right in the centre of town.

If you don’t mind not being in downtown Tetbury, you could also choose a hotel in Malmesbury, five miles away.

Different types of hotel

Good rooms combined with exciting menus are what Tetbury hotels are known for. You won’t be disappointed even if you choose a 3 star establishment. The Priory Inn, in London Road, with modern rooms and gastropub dishes was a Cotswold Life’s 2016 Food and Drink Awards finalist. The Close Hotel, with refined, individually styled rooms in a 16th century building, also comes with a fashionable bar and restaurant and a walled garden. It was chosen by the Times as one of the “coolest places to stay” in the UK.

Tetbury also has several boutique bed and breakfasts. Some are set on farms with spacious rooms and serve only the freshest food. The Carriers Farm, in the village of Sherston, seven miles from Tetbury, was featured in The Guardian newspaper as one of the “10 best British B&Bs”. It is located within a tranquil 15-acre organic pastureland and offers three en-suite bedrooms and heavenly breakfasts using only homemade foods and locally sourced produce, including eggs from their own hens and freshly baked bread made with local flour.

Booking a room in a country pub or inn can provide a quintessentially English experience, especially when they occupy historic buildings. The King’s Arms, in the village of Didmarton, six and a half miles southwest of Tetbury, is a Grade II-listed coaching inn, and its original 17th century stables have been converted into self-catering cottages, ideal for families and groups of friends travelling together.

Most self-catering cottages sleep up to four people and come with luxurious furnishings and toiletries, as in any good hotel, with the added homely feel of a bed and breakfast. As rates are set by the week, not per day, it can be an economical way of staying in Tetbury. Christmas Cottage on Gumstool Hill, site of the annual Woolsack Races, can be convenient if you want to stay near the centre.

A way to fully enjoy the natural beauty of the Cotswolds might be to book a camping and caravan site. There are a few around Tetbury with easy access to the Cotswold Way trail for the keen hikers.

What to do during your stay in Tetbury

You can easily spend an entire day indulging in shopping in Tetbury. Most of its famous antique shops are located in Long Street, Church Street and New Church Street and attract a large number of tourists.

Tetbury’s town centre is dominated by the Market House with its giant pillars. It was built in 1655 for the sale of wool and yarn and is still used as a market and meeting place today. Walking down the medieval cobbled Chipping Steps you can see charming 17th century weavers’ cottages. Another notable building is the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, built between 1777 and 1781 in Georgian Gothic style.

An fun visit with free entry is the Tetbury Police Museum and Courtroom at 63 Long Street, with an interesting history which started with the Tetbury Magistrates Court’s transfer to Cirencester in 1969 and the local police force moving to the Long Street address. The former cells now display an array of interesting bygone police memorabilia, such as a collection of handcuffs and other restraint equipment. The museum also replicates a magistrates court with models depicting a typical court hearing in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

The Westonbirt Arboretum, four miles southwest, has one of the finest tree collections in the world. It houses 15,000 specimens, including many exotic ones, within a carefully designed Grade I-listed landscape with beautiful vistas. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s private garden, Highgrove Gardens, is only a couple of miles from Tetbury and is open to the public on selected days between April and October.

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