Cowley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Cotswold District Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town of Cirencester. The district also includes the towns of ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England. It lies between the A417 and

A435 road The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester (although most of the section between Alcester and just North of Cheltenham has been reclassified as the A46 road, A46). Route Birmingham to Alcester The A435 start ...

s between

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

and

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

in the Churn Valley, and in 2011 had a population of 333. The name originates from 'cow' and 'leigh', literally meaning cow pasture. The Grade II* listed parish church of St. Mary lies next to the Manor and dates from the 12th century. Cowley Manor, owned by the Horlicks family, is currently used as a country hotel. The village pub is the Green Dragon, which is not far from the Gloucestershire Girl Guides HQ, Deerpark. Cowley also has a Sunday cricket team, which plays at the ground towards the west side of the village near the Green Dragon pub. The village hall, which used to be the old school house, was sold by the parish council and converted into a private residence. The village consists of approximately 40 houses, scattered around a circular road that curls up the edge of a small valley and then runs back down the bottom of the V shape. The 'back lane' has only two houses on it compared to the higher lane that holds most of the residents. Further up the small valley is a collection of three houses on a hilltop. The entrance to Cowley from the A435 is through two large pillars, either side of the road entrance, existing from the entrance of the Cowley Manor estate. The local town and shops are in Cheltenham, and many people who live in the village work in Cheltenham. The village falls in Ermin

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

. The total ward population taken in the 2011 census was 1,793. Attractions around the area include Cirencester, Shabb Hill scenic view, Crickley Hill Country Park, and Cheltenham. The village is popular with ramblers and general Cotswold visitors.

References

External links

Villages in Gloucestershire Cotswold District {{Gloucestershire-geo-stub