Painswick Tourist Information and Travel Guide Cotswolds

Painswick is quite often referred to as the Queen of the Cotswolds due to it's fine buildings of pale grey limestone. These are a reflection of the town's former prosperity during 300 years of activity in the cloth industry.

St. Mary's church is largely of the 15th and 16th centuries but the spire was not added until 1632. The churchyard is famed for it's 99 yew trees which were planted around 1792. It is said that every time a hundredth tree is planted it dies.

Painswick is a town that contains many notable houses built in the prosperous seventeenth century and has lots of little streets to explore and quaint shops to discover.

On the outskirts of the town the well known Rococo Gardens can be found in a hidden 6 acre valley. The gardens are the last sole survivor from the brief early 18th century period of English Rococo Garden design.

The garden combines formality with informality in a flamboyant style making use of charming garden structures strategically place for effect.

An Interesting Occurrence

Each year on the Sunday after the feast of the nativity the children of Painswick encircle the church of St. Mary ,join hands and perform a dance not unlike the Hokey-Kokie. During the dance a clypping song is sung, this is believed to express the parishioners love of the church.

In ancient times this was a very riotous time with many visitors flooding into the town to view the ceremony, there was a great deal of drunkenness and lewd behaviour, there was also a huge demand for food , local hostelries were very much under pressure and being desperate for meat they made "Puppy Dog" pies, this custom is  re-enacted in modern times but with a difference , China Dogs are baked into pies and cakes and sold on the day. Do not say 'BOW WOW' or bark in Painswick.

For further reading on this fascinating topic go to - www.gadarg.org.uk/essays/e005.htm