Map of the cotswolds

Click to enlarge

Cotswold Tourism
your guide to local Hotels, Pubs,
Camping, B&B establishments

St Edwards Church Stow-on-the-Wold

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.