Ozleworth

St Nicholas Church, Ozleworth

The village of Ozleworth lies 2 miles East of Wootton-under-Edge in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. That beauty is most obvious in the area known as Ozleworth Bottom, an area of rich plant and animal life along the valley floor. At the far end of this isolated valley is the parish church, unusually dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra.

The church, now cared for The Churches Conservation Fund, is unusual for more than its dedication. The tower rises from the centre of the church, and the churchyard itself is circular, which may be an indication that the site was used in the Saxon period, though the earliest known mention of the church is from 1131.

Just outside Ozleworth is Newark Park, a Tudor hunting lodge built about 1550. In 1790 the Clutterbuck family hired architect James Wyatt to convert the lodge into a fashionably castellated country house. The house is situated in a commanding position atop a high cliff, with excellent views south to the Mendip Hills in Somerset.