Cotswold Tourism
your guide to local Hotels, Pubs,
Camping, B&B establishments
The imposing Norman church of St Edward overlooks the market square. In
1646 the church was home to 1000 Royalist prisoners following the final
battle of the Civil War which was fought in nearby Donnington.
Although the church dates from Norman times, much of the more visible
work, including the 28 metre tower, dates from the 15th. century.
The Church of St Edward was built between the 11th and the 15th
centuries. It stands on the site of the original Saxon church, believed
to have been of wood. The tower, completed in 1447, is 88' high and
houses the heaviest peal of bells, eight in all, in Gloucestershire. A
clock with chimes has existed there since 1580. The present clock was
made in 1926. The painting of the Crucifixion in the south aisle was
painted by Gaspar de Craeyer (1582-1669), a contemporary of Reubens and
Van Dyck. Many features of this outstanding Cotswold Church may be
attributed to the town's prosperity as a centre of the wool trade.