England 1996
November 27, 1996 – Day 4
Coughton Hall and touring the Cotswolds.
After finishing the meal, I head out on foot for Coughton Court, just a mile or so up the road from the King’s Court hotel.
On the grounds of Coughton Court are two churches, one Catholic and one Church of England (C. of E.). Each church has a cemetery in the rear with tombstones ranging from fairly recent to quite old (I saw one stone from the 1500s!!).
The Catholic church was in a state of disrepair and was not open. The C. of E. church was still “active”. I went inside, made a donation for some literature and postcards, and looked around. There were several tombs actually inside of the church, including a very ornate one on the altar itself!
It turns out that the Throckmorton family were owners of Coughton Court over the years and their patriarch and his wife were buried in the church. The top piece of the tomb was a life size carving of Robert Throckmorton and his wife laying together holding hands. The tomb was carved to resemble a four-poster bed and was as beautiful as it was ornate.
As I left the church, I continued on to the main building. As it happens, the entire facility was closed for the winter! I found this out as one of the caretakers opened a window and asked me, rather politely (of course!), to leave the grounds as it would not be open again until March!!!
Oh well! I got to see the two churches and the outside of Coughton Court!!!
I walked back to the main road that would take me back to King’s Court, but went across the street to roam around Coughton Village. In earlier days, the small villages would form together at the common borders of the adjoining farmlands. In this case, it was also next to the Throckmorton’s manor for protection!
John and Marianne picked me up and we went touring through the Cotswolds. These are the central highland regions of England and, without a doubt, some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever seen! One of the older towns, Broadway, has a picture-perfect main street with old storefronts and cobbled side streets. Looking back down the street, I was able to see farmlands stretching as far as the eye could see! Granted, with the normal haziness of the English afternoon, it wasn’t all that far, but it was still wonderfully impressive.
We enjoy yet another incredible pub lunch – this time at “The Barn Owl”, at the top of a hill. As we were driving, I spotted a lone castle tower on top of the highest hill. John explained that this was Broadway Tower. Legend has it that it was a “Beacon Tower”, and would have a fire lit at night to provide a sense of comfort to the people in the surrounding lands. Other stories have also been told (it was built as a “folly” for Lady Coventry), but regardless – it’s pretty cool!
In the fields surrounding Broadway Tower are some of the largest, hairiest cows I’ve ever seen!
It turns out that they are Highland Cattle and have adapted to the altitude and cold by growing their coats so very long.
They are quite friendly and allow us to pet their muzzles.
You can read more about my other visits to the Tower here: Broadway Tower - A Cotswolds Folly
We rush back to Mill Cottage (John and Marianne’s 500+ year old home!!) to pick up Mark and continue with some more sightseeing.
We stop for (late!) afternoon tea at the Stalton Hotel, that is (supposedly) haunted! Unfortunately (?), we see no evidence of ghosts!!
After this, I get dropped off at King’s Court to dress for dinner! Julian arrives again to stay for the rest of the week and we drove out to Mill Cottage.
We all head out for another great dinner at a local pub and return after midnight again! I am really living life now!!!
