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 The River Thames
 The Parish Church

Places of interest around Lechlade

There are two nature reserves quite near to the town. The Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation administers both. The first is the Richardson and Amey Reserve, and this lies just off the Burford Road to the north of the town. The reserve consists largely of shallow pools surrounded by willow scrub and areas of gravel spoil. A rich flora has colonized the spoil, and includes colonies of Marsh and Spotted Orchids and some Bee Orchids. There is a large population of insects, and many species of dragon fly and butterfly can be seen in summer. On the northern side of the reserve is a larger stretch of water, which attracts ducks and waterfowl, and is a breeding area for Great Crested and Little Grebes.

A similar type of reserve is to be found off the Fairford Road along the Whelford Road. Known as Whelford Pools it consists chiefly of two pools, which attract many species of waterfowl and other birds. Here, a hide for the convenience of visitors has been erected.

A little further along the Burford Road is Little Faringdon Mill, a building mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was restored in 1975, and a trout farm constructed in the grounds. Water for the fishponds is fed from the River Leach under gravity, and the water source probably accounts for the high quality of the pink-fleshed trout produced.

Two miles further along the same road is a quiet and typically Cotswold village of Filkins. Here, during the last few years, several cottage industries have grown. These include The Cotswold Woollen Weavers, where one can watch the cloth being woven, and visit a most interesting Wool Exhibition. At the Mill Shop a wide range of garments, rugs and furnishing fabrics can be purchased.

Further along the road to Burford is the Cotswold Wildlife Park, set in parkland around a Gothic style manor house. It contains a large and varied collection of animals from all over the world. In addition, there are tropical birds, apes, reptiles and butterflies, all housed in natural surroundings. Children are well catered for with an adventure playground and model railway.

Burford itself is a very picturesque place, built on the slopes of a hill and with a pretty tree lined Main Street leading down to an old bridge over the river Windrush. The Tolsey, in the main street, houses an interesting folk museum.

A visit should paid to Inglesham Church, to be found about a mile from Halfpenny Bridge along the Swindon Road. This church is one of the oldest untouched and unspoilt churches in the area, dating from the 11th century, and containing interesting Carolean box pews. There are also traces of wall paintings dating from the 13th to the 18th century. The Church was saved from further decay by the efforts of William Morris.

West from Lechlade, on the road to Cirencester, lies the interesting town of Fairford. A picturesque glory of Fairford is its church, completely rebuilt from 1480 to 1500 by John Tame, a wool merchant. It is famous for its complete set of original stained glass windows dating from the time the church was built.

A few more miles along the A417, and the town of Cirencester is reached. Here is the church of St John the Baptist, the largest parish church in Gloucestershire and one of the most spacious in England. Begun in the 12th century, it was gradually added to until the middle of the 16th century, the work being mainly paid for by wool merchants. The fame of Cirencester is, however, the fact that it was originally the Roman town of Corinium, and much evidence has been unearthed about the Roman way of life. This is shown very well in the Corinium Museum, which contains a very fine collection of antiquities, from Roman Britain, most of them coming from Corinium, the second largest Roman settlement in the country. Also included in the exhibits are artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon cemetery recently excavated in Lechlade.

To anyone interested in the Roman way of life, a visit to the Roman Villa at Chedworth, off the A429 to the north of Cirencester, is well worth while. An almost complete villa has been unearthed, with several living rooms originally containing mosaics, and two bath suites, one for damp heat, and one for dry. An excellent museum, in the hands of the National Trust, is arranged on the site.

To the east of Lechlade is the village of Kelmscott. The Manor, a Cotswold style dwelling of the 16th and 17th century was the summer house of William Morris from 1871 until his death in 1896. The house, which is open to the public during the summer months, contains many Morris possessions and examples of his many designs.

A short distant beyond St. John's Bridge, along the road to Faringdon, is the village of Buscot, wholly owned by the National Trust. Here is the second lock of the Thames, moving downstream, and also a weir to control the flow of water to the lower reaches. Further along the road to Faringdon is Buscot Park, containing a mansion in the Adam style, built round about 1780, which is the home of Lord Faringdon. A feature of the grounds, which should not be missed, is the famous water garden, designed by Harold Peto at the beginning of the century, where water is made to flow down and through a great variety of falls and rills until finally it reaches the lake.

To the east of Lechlade, passing through Faringdon, one can reach Great Coxwell with its Great Tithe Barn, 180ft long and 60ft high, the roof, made up of an estimated total of 100,000 stone tiles being entirely supported by the thick walls and massive oak timbers.

A little further on lies Uffington from where an ascent of the famous White Horse Hill can be made. Though the origin of the White Horse is uncertain, local tradition generally accepts that, King Alfred's men cut it, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Ashendon in 871. Below the Horse is Dragon Hill, where it is said that St. George slew the dragon.

Other places quite near at hand which are well worth visiting are Southrop and Eastleach, famous for its daffodils in springtime and the ancient Keble Clapper Bridge over the river Leach. Here are also two parish churches within 200 yards of each other.

Another village in the locality well worth a visit is Bibury, which offers many attractions to the tourist. These include the world famous Arlington Row, a row of weavers' cottages dating from the early 17th century. Nearby is the church, the building of which was begun in the 13th. Century on the site of a Saxon church, a few remains of which still exist embedded in the walls. Across the valley can be seen Bibury Court, a picturesque building from Tudor times. At the other end of the village, by the bridge spanning the river Coln is the Trout Farm, while close by is Arlington Mill, probably built in the 17th century. It was used both as a cloth mill and a corn mill, but now contains a museum with old mill machinery, Staffordshire china, Victorian costumes and furniture.

A little further to the north west lies Northleach which, in addition to having another excellent example of a 'wool church', is the home of the Cotswold Countryside Collection which holds the Lloyd-Baker collection of agricultural history. As the museum is housed in an old house of correction, the history of this is displayed in a reconstructed cell block.

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