Bibury is a picturesque village in the Cotswolds on the Rover Coln in Gloucestershire. William Morris once described it as “the most beautiful village in England”. It is an architectural conservation area with the most notable buildings being the 14th century Arlington Row owned by the National Trust. On Awkward Hill the buildings were originally a monastic wool store, which later became weaver’s cottages.
On the day we visited there were coachloads of Japanese tourists.We found out later that this is atttributed to the fact that the Emeror Hirohito stayed in the village on his European tour. Also Bibury is featured in the manga series “Kin-iro Mosaic”. Many of the signs in the village are written in Japanese.
On the main street (called The St) is the Swan Hotel. Opposite is the Trout farm, which is open to the public every day. There is a restaurant on site and obviously, freshly caught trout is always on the menu! It is set in beautiful grounds and is great to visit even if you don’t want to do some fishing. The other building of note is the Saxon Church of St Mary’s with its Norman arches, 13th century font and stained glass.
Bibury village is well worth a visit, but chose a weekday out of season to enjoy at its best and to find a decent parking spot.
