📷 Photo by Graham Horn · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
This small village sits beside the River Coln, about six miles northeast of Cirencester, and gives you a genuine sense of rural Cotswold life without the crowds that gather in the larger settlements.
The place is built around farming and the surrounding countryside, with the river itself offering a pleasant walk through the landscape.
St Michael's Church is definitely worth a look if medieval architecture interests you. It dates back before the mid-12th century, which means it's been part of this community for nearly a thousand years. The building reflects how people have worshipped in this spot through centuries of English history.
Winson Manor, a Grade II* listed house from around 1740, speaks to the village's more prosperous past. It was built for Richard Howse, who served as Surgeon-General to the Army during the Georgian period. The house isn't open to the public, but it's architecturally interesting as you wander through the village.
The village's working life has gradually shifted over the decades. Until around 1960, Walter Field ran the wheelwright business here, a craft with centuries of tradition that's largely vanished from rural England. Today, Winson works best as a quiet base for exploring the Coln Valley and the wider Cotswolds, rather than as a destination with major attractions in its own right.
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Photos
J. Billinger · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
S. Logan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons