Painswick
The Town
If your property search takes you to Gloucestershire, your Recoco buying agent can tell you everything you need to know about the Queen of the Cotswolds, Painswick. With a population of just over 4,150, the town has a peaceful, discreet atmosphere.
The weavers' cottages of yesteryear make perfect workshops and ateliers for the crafts folk and artisans who have flocked to this pretty corner of the Cotswolds. The town is a popular location for second homes.
Transport
From the main A46 Stroud Road it takes around 20 minutes to the M5 in light traffic. Buses run from Painswick to Stroud; Stonehouse via Stroud; and to Cranham, Miserden, and Sheepcombe. Some weekly community services also run to the supermarket in Stroud. Stonehouse is the nearest railway station, followed by Stroud and Gloucester. Bristol Airport is just over an hour away by road, and Birmingham, just under an hour and a half. Shortest travel times to Heathrow Airport are just under 2 hours, and about 2 and a half hours to Gatwick. For private jets and helicopters, Gloucestershire Airport is around 20 minutes away.
History
The area has been settled since at least the Iron Age. Take time out from your property search to visit Painswick Beacon, site of Kimsbury Hill Fort. The town first appears in historical records in the Domesday Book as Wiche, meaning dairy-farm. The name Painswik appears around 1237.
Painswick owes much of its historical prosperity to wool. In its heyday, around 30 mills produced super-fine broadcloth. In the first English Civil War the district supported Parliament, but was surrounded by Royalists.. King Charles I himself stayed at Court House, and your Recoco buying agent will be able to point out the battle damage, still visible on the church tower of St Mary’s.
Education
Painswick has a small school, Croft Primary School, for pupils aged 4 to 11, and a playgroup. There are state secondary schools in Gloucester or Stroud; Wycliffe Preparatory School and Wycliffe Senior School are in nearby Stonehouse, around 7 miles away.
Celebrity connections
The peace and seclusion of Gloucestershire make it popular with celebrities who like privacy. Singer Lily Allen lives close to Painswick, and her actor and comedian father Keith Allen also lives nearby. In its own way, St Mary’s Parish Church is something of a celebrity. There are 99 yews in the churchyard and legend has it, should this number exceed 100, it's said that the Devil will uproot them.
Leisure and Events
Property buyers who love gardens will be in their element here. Painswick Rococo Garden is the only remaining garden of its kind in Britain and there are plenty of activities for all the family in this stunning, quirky location.
Those of a sporting persuasion will delight in the fact that the Falcon Bowling Club claims to be the home of the oldest bowling green in Britain; it was founded in 1564. The town has both rugby and cricket teams, while Recoco property finders will be happy to reassure golfers that there is a course at the edge of town.
The local area is very popular with walkers, and the gentle hills mean property buyers will find suitable hiking locations no matter what their fitness level. From Painswick Beacon in the nearby hills you can see as far as the Welsh Black Mountains.
Property buyers might also be interested in the Art Burst festival every other August, with Art Couture Painswick, when the challenge is wearable art. Recoco property finders can point you in the direction of many original local crafts folk and artisans. Check out local artist Rupert Aker. He runs his combined and gallery studio from The Loovre – yes, it really is a converted former public lavatory.
Foodies' Corner
Taking a break from your property search for a little refreshment, and keen for a dining room with a view? Ask your Recoco buying agent for details of St Michael's Bistro, which serves local produce with a view over the churchyard. For more charming little coffee houses and bistros, try The Bistro at Cardynham House, The Painswick Pooch Coffee House, which welcomes dogs, or enjoy traditional pub fare at The Falcon Inn.
And should you and your Recoco property finder find a few minutes to enjoy a cup of English breakfast tea, Assam, Earl Grey, Lady Grey or Lapsang Souchong, spare a thought for tea merchant Thomas Twining. He was born in Painswick in 1675.
Fun Fact
The bell ringers' society which was formed in 1686 is still known as the "Ancient Society of Painswick Youths".