House
An historic Arts & Crafts house in the heart of the Cotswolds, designed by Sidney Barnsley and Norman Jewson, home to the Birchall family for five generations.
top: North Front, bottom: South Front
1720s
'The New Farm'
In a 1720’s map of the local area, Cotswold Farm is labelled as ‘The New Farm’.
North front, after Kent's alteration
1920s
The Library Wing
In 1925, Architect Sidney Barnsley extended the house further, adding two wings in the Arts & Crafts style for the Birchall family.
Barnsley’s style is evident in the leaded windows with stone drip moulds and in the old farm buildings with circular pillars. The Library floor 'is entirely taken from two trees which had been lying in W. Barnsley's garden for some years'. Many of Sidney Barnsley's designs for furniture, and his original plans for Cotswold Farm House, are in the Cheltenham museum.
2020s
The 21st Century
Today, Cotswold Farm is home to the fifth generation of the Birchall family. Our family house is open only by special appointment.
17th Century
A 17th Century Farmhouse
In the 17th century, Cotswold Farm was a small stone-built farmhouse, consisting of a simple central block with two wings: a cart-shed and a cowshed with a granary above.
1919
Mr Kent
Cotswold Farm was bought by Mr Kent, who enlarged and altered the house considerably. He made the two 'wings' part of the house, turning the sloping cattle yard into the main lawn with two higher levels and built the Step Garden. Mr Kent also planted two acres of larches north of the farmhouse.
North front under construction in 1926 and finished in 1927
1920s
House & Garden
In parallel with Barnsley’s house designs, renowned Architect-craftsman Norman Jewson redesigned and extended Cotswold Farm’s garden.
To read more about Cotswold Farm and the Arts and Crafts movement see:
Jekyll, G., Weaver, L. (2008). Gardens for Small Country Houses. United Kingdom: Grimsay Press
Jewson, N. (1973). By Chance I Did Rove. Cirencester, United Kingdom: Privately Published
Tankard, J.B., A Perfect Paradise, Arts and Crafts Gardens in the Cotswolds, Hortus Issue 132, pp.52-53.
