Colesbourne is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village and parish lies within the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village is east-southeast from the city and

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

of Gloucester, and on a east to west section (defined by road entry signs) of the

A435 road List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island ...

, which runs locally between

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

to the north, and Cirencester, to the south. The civil parish is from north to south. Withington parish is at the north and north-east, with North Cerney and Rendcomb at the south. At the north-west is Coberley parish; at the west,

Elkstone Elkstone is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. In the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 203, increasing to 248 at the 2011 census Approximately south of its post town, Cheltenham, an ...

; and at the east, Chedworth. The River Churn flows through the centre of the parish and at the north of the village, where it is joined by its tributary Hilcot Brook, which rises in the farther north parish of Dowdeswell.Extracted fro
"Colesbourne"
Ordnance Survey map. Retrieved 28 January 2019 The village contains The Chequers Inn public house, adjacent to a restaurant, a roadside fuel station, and a village farm with a small retail park which includes a cookery school and wine merchant. At the north of the village is the parish church of St James, and north from this the house of Colesbourne Park estate. Within the parish is a game shoot estate. Colesbourne is connected by bus to Cheltenham and

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

. In 1872 John Marius Wilson recorded Colesbourne as being a parish in the Cirencester district, near the highest source of the River Thames and east from the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

of "Ermine-street", actually Ermin Way (today's

A417 The A417 is a main road in England running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the m ...

). Remains of a Roman villa had been found. There was a post office and fifty-two houses in a parish area of . Colesbourne House was the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of Henry John Elwes, who was patron of the ecclesiastical parish

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

.Wilson,John, Marius (1870-72) ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''

Landmarks

There are sixteen Grade II listed buildings and structures in the parish. In the village is St James' Church, dating to the 12th century, with later 15th-century tower and chancel, which was largely rebuilt in 1852-53 for Henry John Elwes in early Perpendicular style. Within the churchyard is an 18th-century tomb to John Brown (d.1760), Mary Brown (d.1736), and Mary Hayden (d.1809). At the southeast of the church is the base of a medieval cross with the remains of a 17th- or 18th-century stone sundial. To the northeast of the church are three listed mid-19th-century coachhouses built for Henry John Elwes of Colesbourne Park. On the A435 at the centre of the village is The Colesbourne Inn, a

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

dating to 1827, which was "built to serve the new Cheltenham oCirencester turnpike". To the west of the inn is the building listed as the 'Village Institute and Coach House', a c.1827 "former stables and coach house, now partly meeting hall". Farther west, and adjacent, is the c.1850 'Village Stores and Post Office'. To the east of The Colesbourne Inn is the c.17th-century Slys Cottage, a former shop and post office. At the northwest of the village is Southbury Farmhouse, dating to the 17th century with 18th-century additions. Adjacent to the farmhouse are mid- to late 18th century threshing barns and stables. At the south of the parish is Rapsgate Park, a late 17th-century "large country house" which was "remodelled and enlarged in the 18th century and altered in 1903". Next to Rapsgate Park is an 18th-century barn. At the west and southeast of the village on the A435 are 19th-century milestones of iron plate. At the north of the village, beyond St James' Church, and bordered at the east by Hilcot Brook, dammed in 1922 to form a lake, is Colesbourne Park, a house with of garden and an arboretum, which was home to the

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and author Henry John Elwes (1846 – 1922). The park is significant for its display of 250 cultivars of snowdrops, particularly ''

Galanthus elwesii ''Galanthus elwesii'', Elwes's snowdrop or greater snowdrop, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to the Caucasus. This herbaceous perennial plant grows to high. It grows from a globose bulb, 2–3 cm in di ...

'' which was identified by and named after Elwes.Shepherd, Charlott
"Colesbourne Park is ready to reveal its snowdrops"
''Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard'', 22January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2019

References

External links

*
"Local Insight profile for Colesbourne CP area"
''Gloucestershire Parish Profiles'', Gloucestershire County Council. Retrieved 28 January 2019
"Colesbourne"
'' British History Online'', Retrieved 28 January 2019
"Colesbourne"
Genuki. Retrieved 28 January 2019
"Churn Valley Benefice"
Churnvalley.org.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2019
"Colesbourne Park"
Colesbourne Gardens. Retrieved 28 January 2019 {{authority control Civil parishes in Gloucestershire Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District