Great Barrington

Summary
A beautiful Cotswold village on the River Windrush.

The village
Great Barrington stretches along the meandering Windrush valley. A small bridge crosses the river, and here you will find the Fox Inn, a 17th century coaching inn in an idyllic location. The road rises from the riverside, up a small hill, where the rest of the village is laid out. To one side of the road is Barrington Park, a Palladian manor house built by Charles, Lord Talbot, in 1737. Talbot was Lord Chancellor to George I, and there are several fanciful Talbot monuments in the church that stands beside the manor. Above the manor in isolated splendour on the exposed hilltop is a domed 18th century folly in classical style. Although on private land the folly is clearly visible from the road.

To the other side of the road through the village pretty cottages are laid out along a quiet lane. Footpaths lead across the valley to Little Barrington, making use of a long causeway to raise the foot path above the sometimes wet ground by the riverside. The woodland here is full of snowdrops in the early spring, and bluebells later in the year, making for some very enjoyable rambling along the quiet lanes and trails that crisscross the area. As a historical pamphlet in the parish church proudly notes, stone from this area was used in the building of the Houses of Parliament.

The Norman church
The church of St Mary dates back to the Norman period, though much of what can be seen today dates from the early Tudor era. One surviving Norman feature is the beautifully carved chancel arch, still looking crisp and clean, as if the Norman workmen had just laid down their tools. There are Talbot family monuments in the chancel, and a lovely Jacobean effigy of Cpt. Edmond Bray in the south aisle.

A classical folly stands in the grounds of Barrington Park

More images in our Photo Galleries:
Great Barrington
St Mary's church