Chedworth Part One

Perhaps Chedworth is best known for it's Roman villa hidden at the end of a wooded valley a short distance from the village. Chedworth is a linear settlement which follows a steep sided valley for several miles, the small cottages that make up the majority of the buildings are masked amongst the trees and lost from sight by the rise and fall of the land. Perhaps the centre of the village is it's beginning, the group of houses that cluster below the church, which is cut into the steep valley side above. All is quiet and calm, paddocks with sheep, chickens, a pair of donkeys and even llamas line the road. The church is an early foundation, parts of the present structure dating to the late Norman period, most notably the tower. However it is the beauty of the setting, looking out over the valley below and the dramatic wall of Perpendicular windows that make up the south facade that add such beauty to this remote church. The south wall is also remarkable for a series of inscriptions from the late 15th century which include dates written in Arabic numerals. This early use of a system of notation which would revolutionize mathematical calculation is perhaps the product of the international connections of local wool merchants. Chedworth was once a busier place, the remains of a disused railway run through the village and indeed through a substantial tunnel nearby and a Wartime air field can be seen in the fields beyond.

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