Painswick, also know as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’ is a historic wool town, known for its beautiful rococo garden and St. Mary’s Parish churchyard with 99 yew trees. Apparently the 100th won’t grow. Legend has it the Devil won’t let it grow!
Above you can see the half timbered building which used to be the post office. Built in 1478. It is thought to be the oldest building in Great Britain to also contain a post office.
Painswick sits in the south of the Cotswolds and is a good base to explore the area if you are not local.
The houses in this historic wool town are built from grey or honey-coloured Cotswold stone from the nearby quarry, Painswick Beacon. The town originally grew from the wool trade and a number of the buildings here have south facing attic rooms, once used as weavers workshops.
The Falcon Inn pictured above dates back to 1554 and is a small hotel with restaurant. It sits opposite the churchyard famous for its 99 yew trees.
Painswick was also a filming location for JK Rowling’s tv mini series adaptation The Casual Vacancy. The filming caused a bit of a stir with local residents who did not feel the lingerie shop they set up in the town, particularly the mannequins in the window, was appropriate for Painswick. I’ve not seen the mini series or read the book so can’t comment.
Painswick is also home to the Rococo Gardens, the UK’s only surviving Rococo garden. Rococo refers to a period of art that was fashionable in the 1700s. It was known for its flamboyant style and ornamental decoration. They were designed by Benjamin Hyett to entertain his guests at Painswick House. Below are a few photos from my visit last spring.
The photos above were taken in spring 2020 and it was a joy to see the magnificent daffodil display having missed out on seeing the snowdrops (again this year due to lockdown and flooding last year). Hopefully I shall get to go next year! February is the time to go with over 5 million snowdrops on display. There is also a maze, café, shop and a really good children’s play ground. I can vouch for that as my 3 year old had a thoroughly good time!
They have a seasonal guide on their website so if you are planning on visiting, which I recommend, take a look at that to see what you might find in bloom.
Have you been to Painswick? Let me know if this post has inspired you to visit.
Snapshots of Thyme 