Lucy & Richard from Cotswolds Guided Tours, just love sharing their local area with visitors. If you want to learn more about the Cotswolds then we hope you find this Cotswolds travel guide useful. Remember you can always join us for a day trip exploring, you have two options our private Cotswold tours or our small, mixed group sightseeing Cotswolds tours. We are open all year round, so book & be our special guests for a wonderful day trip.

 

Located just 3 miles North West of Moreton in Marsh is  the thriving village of Blockley. Made famous in recent years by the BBC series 'Father Brown' the murder mystery series set in the 1950s. The local Catholic Priest played by Mark Williams is regularly embroiled in murders throughout the glorious Cotswolds countryside. Kembleford the fictional Cotswold village is set in Blockley, with other wonderful characters including Lady Felicia Montague (Nancy Carroll) & Mrs Bridgette (Socha Cusack) the episodes take the viewer around some of the most beautiful locations within the Cotswolds region.

The village was owned during medieval times by the bishop of Worcester, built on the slopes of a hollow, within the Cotswolds Hills. The prolific stream running through the village once powered 6 silk mills which continued to thrive well after many other villages & towns saw a decline after the dwindling wool industry in 19th century. The mills in Blockley produced much of the silk needed for the ribbon industry in Coventry & during its peak over 500 people were employed. The village is unspoilt by tourism, it has steep little streets & a collection of mismatched properties lend an easy grace to the village. Despite one of the local inns being named 'The Great Western' (after the railway) the network was never able to connect the line to Blockley due to its geographical challenges. Its now peaceful exterior, hides its industrial past, however if you look closely at the cottages you will notice the large 'advertising' shop windows of the now residential properties. This little village once boasted 60 shops & 7 inns & a piano factory. In years gone by the village was also used as a stopping off point for transporting prisoners, the second inn 'The Crown' has an arch, which now leads to the pub carpark. This unassuming feature is were prisoners would be chained up outside, whilst their minders would seek refreshment. Whilst in the village do check out the amazing village cafe, which serves a host of delicious treats.