Exploring Cotswold Churches
"John Vigar, I am certain, has visited more churches in England and Wales than anyone now living; more, probably, than anyone who has ever lived; and more, there is a fair chance, than anyone ever will".
Peter Ross, Steeplechasing published by Headline 2023.
We all love the honey coloured Cotswold stone that gives its towns and villages character. In this lecture we explore the many churches built over a thousand year period, the furnishings and memorials.
Parts of the area became wealthy as a result of late medieval wool production, but depending on who the Lord of the Manor was this was not universally the case and some churches never really grew from their Saxon or early Norman origins - which makes it a particularly interesting area of England to study. The same concept may be applied to nineteenth century wealth with several churches not seeing a major Victorian restoration and subsequently retaining their box pews and Georgian interiors.
This lecture looks at a wide variety of churches and uses them as examples of the way in which churches are seen as ever- evolving buildings with both sacred and secular references. It is a good introduction to the area and helps narrow down the most interesting churches to visit, and explains their monuments and furnishings.
