The Cotswolds became an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966, but these fascinating historic photographs show that it has always been outstandingly beautiful – quintessential, idyllic, rural England.
And a land where time has stood still.
We’ve matched some of the images with present-day photographs to reveal how much of the area – which spans Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire – looks almost exactly as it did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Our compendium reveals a land of ancient woodland, rolling fields, and chocolate-box villages with houses made from a defining Cotswold feature – golden stone.
Cotswolds.com describes the area as ‘a very special, very wonderful place’.
Scroll down and take a trip down memory lane to see why.
The beautiful top image shows the utopian countryside surrounding the village of Mickleton and was taken some time between 1860 and 1922 by photographer and Royal Geographical Society member Henry William Taunt. In the background is the spire of Mickleton’s quaint 12th-century church. The image below was taken in the present day, revealing how little the surrounds have changed
Kiftsgate Court sits on Glyde Hill above Mickleton and offers stunning views out to the Malvern Hills. William Taunt captured the top image of the 18th-century manor between 1860 and 1922. Today (bottom image), visitors can visit the gardens and stay in one of three properties on the site. Visit www.kiftsgate.co.uk/stayatkiftsgate
Cheltenham’s famous Promenade, which dates to 1818, is captured on the left in a picture published by Francis Bedford & Co. On the right are a bookshop and stationers, and a music shop. Bedford (1816-1894) was a prolific and well-respected photographer, best known for his numerous topographic and architectural views of Britain. In 1857, Bedford became a member of the Photographic Society and, in 1862, he accompanied the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII (1841-1910), as official photographer on a tour of the Middle East. During the 1860s and 1870s, Bedford travelled extensively throughout Britain, taking hundreds of views of British scenery. He was assisted by his son, William (1846-1893), whose work is said to be almost indistinguishable from that of his father. On the right is a present-day view of Cheltenham’s eye-catching main thoroughfare
The above picture, taken between 1860 and 1922, shows a yoke of oxen harrowing (breaking up the soil of) a field near Lechlade, which sits on the edge of the Cotswolds. The 19th-century building that was once their home, on the Southrop Manor Estate, now houses a restaurant called ‘The Ox Barn’, which ‘has preserved the building’s original Cotswold stone rubble walls, soaring arches, and extensive beams’
Lower Slaughter is said to be one of the most beautiful villages in England – and the two pictures above (1890 and present day, capturing the footbridge over the River Eye) show how it has been seemingly frozen in time. Cotswolds Tourism notes that there is limited parking in Lower Slaughter, so it recommends visitors park their car in nearby Bourton-on-the-Water and enjoy a walk to the idyllic village from there. One notable sight in the hamlet is the Old Mill, which sits on the site of a mill recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086
Taken in 1890, this Henry Taunt photo depicts a woman riding in a horse and trap outside a clothier’s shop on Market Place, Fairford, on the Cotswolds border. Cotswolds Tourism says Fairford ‘sits on a lovely stretch of the River Coln and owes its fortune to its location – on the old London to Gloucester route’
This image, taken around 1920 by motoring photographer Bill Brunell, shows a couple driving through Bourton-on-the-Hill in a Calthorpe 4-seater tourer. Historic England says ‘there were just 187,000 cars in Great Britain’ in 1920, so owning a car would have been considered a luxury
Taken in 1924, this picture by Katherine Jean Macfee shows a woman watching her two horses drink water at the ford next to the bridge over the River Windrush in Burford. Cotswolds Tourism says ‘little has changed over the centuries’ in Burford, adding: ‘There are wonderful alleyways and side streets just waiting to be explored’
This 1924 Katherine Jean Macfee photo shows a group of girls approaching a stream running across the road in Swinbrook. Behind them is 18th-century property The Bell House, which On The Market describes as ‘one of the most prominent houses in Swinbrook’
The Swan Inn (captured top in 1924 by Katherine Jean Macfee and below in 2019) sits on the Windrush River and is ‘very much at the heart of the local village community in Swinbrook’, says The Oxford Magazine. It adds: ‘The pub is owned by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire’s estate, the last of Mitford sisters, and – along with the neighbouring cottage – forms the residual part of the estate inherited by the family at the beginning of the 19th century.’ Archie and Nicola Orr-Ewing took over The Swan Inn in 2006, and it’s available to eat and stay at to this day
The top image was taken by Katherine Jean Macfee in 1924 to show Taber House at 123 High Street in Burford, where she stayed during a visit. Below is a present-day image of the street, which Cotswolds Tourism notes is ‘flanked by an unbroken line of ancient houses and shops’ and ‘sweeps downhill towards the River Windrush’
In this 1928 Katherine Jean Macfee picture, three farmers can be seen herding pigs along a terrace of cottages on Chapel Street, in the village of Maugersbury. By this time, the Cotswolds’ farming industry had been transformed with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of machinery, according to Cotswold Retreats
Market Square in Stow-on-the-Wold (captured top in 1928 by Katherine Jean Macfee and below in 2018) has been holding weekly markets since 1107 ‘when Henry I granted Edwardstow its borough status’, says Cotswolds Adventures. The tour company adds that the square, ‘surrounded by 17th and 18th-century cottages and inns, is a lovely place to wander around’
In this 1951 picture, hunting group the Cotswolds Hounds meets in Cheltenham’s Promenade. The North Cotswold Hunt, one of the ‘notable smaller hunts’, reveals that the Cotswolds is ‘steeped in hunting tradition’, with the earliest foxhunting on record in the area dating back to 1772. The North Cotswold Hunt adds: ‘Our objectives are now to work for the reintroduction of lawful hunting and to continue breeding foxhounds in order to retain their bloodlines’
Laverton is a village full of ‘cottages and farmhouses built of local Cotswold stone, the oldest dating back at least to the 17th century’, says The Walking Englishman. The top photo was taken in 1952, while the bottom photo was taken in 2021
![During the Second World War, Women's Voluntary Service canteens would travel to isolated army posts around the country, including the Cotswolds, as pictured. 'The men at these posts [were] unable to get to the shops and the daily visit of the canteen [was] very welcome,' explains the Getty caption - and that's clear from the smiles across the faces of these men](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/28/13/95415087-14418289-During_the_Second_World_War_Women_s_Voluntary_Service_canteens_w-a-19_1740749177507.jpg)
During the Second World War, Women’s Voluntary Service canteens would travel to isolated army posts around the country, including the Cotswolds, as pictured. ‘The men at these posts [were] unable to get to the shops and the daily visit of the canteen [was] very welcome,’ explains the Getty caption – and that’s clear from the smiles across the faces of these men
