Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Cirencester, the capital of the Cotswolds, is built on the site of the Roman town of Corinium. Its parish church has the highest tower in Gloucestershire and its stone houses with their distinctive array of gables once belonged to prosperous wool merchants in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Today there is a mixture of architectural styles that, says Alec Clifton-Taylor , 'blend harmoniously, and in the market place the buildings burst forth into a chorus of painted stucco.'
A 42-foot high yew hedge masks the town's one real mansion, Cirencester House; the 10,000-acre park is one of the largest of its kind in England and one of the last. Music composed by JIM PARKER Producer JANE COLES (R)
... enthusiasm for architecture that illuminates like sunshine behind stained glass ... (SUNDAY TIMES) ... best teacher we have....
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Books: Six English Towns £7.25: Six More English Towns £10.95, paperback £ 8,95; Another Six English Towns £12.95 from booksellers
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