Historic Churches in Gloucestershire

Elkstone's parish church is one of those wonderful little country churches that seems to pass under the radar of most tourists. But this is really worth seeing - a delightful Norman church with a wonderful collection of early medieval features. The most unusual feature is a dovecote built in a small chamber over the chancel. There are also beautifully carved arches in the sanctuary and chancel.
Elkstone, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England

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This delightful country church dates to the 12th century and features a 14th-century pulpit and font. Look for a Nine Men's Morris board game carved into a window sill and a medieval stone sedilia in the south aisle. Fragments of medieval glass depict Edward the Confessor.
Church Lane, Evenlode, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England, GL56 0NY

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Heritage Highlight: Freestanding medieval stone sedilia

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Without doubt one of the best 'wool churches' in England, St Mary's, Fairford, is a testament to the wealth of the medieval wool trade in the Cotswolds region. Successful wool merchants lavished money on their parish churches, and if we can judge by the results at Fairford, the local merchants were very wealthy indeed.
High Street, Fairford, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England, GL7 4AF

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Heritage Highlight: Complete set of 15th century stained glass

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A tiny Saxon chapel of ease, set in a glorious location high on a hilltop above Hailes Abbey, on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment. There is a blocked Saxon arch at the east end, and a late Elizabethan monument to the Stratfords, lords of the manor at Farmcote.
Farmcote, Gloucestershire, England, GL54 5AU

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Heritage Highlight: 1590 Stratford memorial

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The magnificence of Gloucester, which only became a cathedral under Henry VIII, owes much to the courage of one man, Abbot Thoky. When Edward II was murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle in 1327, three other abbots refused to accept the king's remains, possibly because they disapproved of his reported "unnatural" lifestyle. Thoky accepted the body, risking the displeasure of Edward's many enemies.
12 College Green, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, GL1 2LX

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Heritage Highlight: 14th century east window

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A 12th-century church in the centre of historic Gloucester. St Nicholas' was rebuilt in the 13th century and the wonderful west tower was added in the mid 15th century. The tower is a real local landmark with its distinctive spire.
Westgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, GL1 2QT

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Heritage Highlight: 1626 John Walton tomb

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St Mary's is essentially a Norman church, with many Tudor additions, standing beside the manor house in the Cotswold village of Great Barrington. The Norman chancel arch is wonderfully carved in a traditional Norman chevron design. Other highlights include the Jacobean memorial to Edmund Bray, and Talbot family tombs in the sanctuary.
Great Barrington, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England

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St John's church stands beside the manor house in the Cotswold village of Great Rissington. The church is essentially a 12th-century building. Highlights include the 16th-century Barnarde memorial, 3 Norman coffin lids, 13th-century windows, and a restored 15th-century font.
Great Rissington, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England

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A 12th-century church in an idyllic village setting. There is a Norman door and tympanum, and two unusual squints on either side of the chancel opening. Fragments of 14th and 15th-century wall paintings decorate the nave.
Great Washbourne, Gloucestershire, England, GL20 7AR

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Heritage Highlight: Two Norman doorways, carved tympanum, and early wall paintings

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St Michael's and All Angels is primarily a Norman building, with a beautifully carved south door. Indeed, the door is one of the few remaining pieces of Norman architecture, for the church was heavily remodelled in the 13th and 15th centuries.
Church Lane, Guiting Power, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England, GL54 5XA

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Heritage Highlight: Superb Norman south doorway and Saxon child's coffin

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