This ‘idylic’ village has been named the ‘most beautiful in England’ and featured in films | Travel News | Travel
The beautiful village, which has no houses built after the 1600s, is a perfectly preserved snapshot of medieval history and architecture.
Tucked away in a leafy valley in the Cotswolds, Castle Combe is frequently dubbed the “prettiest village in England”.
A visitors guide from The Crown Inn pub, located in the historic village, details why the place is so special.
The village gets its name from a castle that was constructed on a hill to the north of the village in the 12th century.
In the Middle Ages, the village, like much of the Cotswolds, flourished due to a booming wool industry.
Today, it has been used as a film set in notable films such as Stardust, The Wolf Man and Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse.
Numerous weavers’ cottages were built from local stone, and these ancient honey-coloured buildings are still one of the village’s most distinctive features today.
Castle Combe was particularly known for producing a red and white cloth called ‘Castlecombe’, which was highly sought after in the markets of Bristol, Cirencester, London and even overseas.
In 1440, King Henry VI granted Castle Combe the right to hold a weekly market, and the unmistakable Market Cross monument still stands tall today.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Castle Combe is its strict ban on modern attachments such as TV dishes and external wires on the exteriors of its houses restrictions that have played a key role in preserving the historic village’s authentic appearance.
The church houses a faceless clock which is said to be one of the oldest working clocks in the country.
There are also pubs and a luxury hotel with a golf course within the village so locals and visitors to enjoy.
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