Painswick tourist information

The historic wool town of Painswick, known as the 'Queen of the Cotswolds', is set on a high spur between two valleys on the Stroud to Cheltenham road.

The town has many quaint old cottages and narrow winding streets. Many of its beautiful old buildings were constructed from mellow Cotswolds stone taken from the local quarry at Painswick Beacon.

New Street, built in 1428 at the height of the wool trade, has the oldest building in England to house a Post Office. In the same street stands the Falcon Hotel which contains the oldest bowling green in the country.

The elegant spire of the large wool church of St Mary is a commanding feature of the town. The ancient church, dating from Norman times and extended in around 1480 in the Cotswolds Perpendicular style, has a churchyard with unusual tabletop tombs and 99 spectacular clipped yew trees. According to legend there should be 100 trees but the Devil does his best to kill off new trees and keep the number down to 99.

Located at the Painswick Centre is the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen Gallery.

From Painswick Beacon there are views across the Severn Valley (and the Welsh Mountains on a clear day) and the outlines of an Iron Age Fort can be seen at the summit.

The nearby Slad Valley, noted for its wildflowers, was made famous by Laurie Lee in 'Cider with Rosie'.

On the outskirts of the town is the Painswick Roccoco Garden, an unusual 18th century garden, and nearby are the Prinknash Abbey and the Prinknash Bird Park.