Blockley

Blockley is a quiet village near Chipping Campden in the northern Cotswolds, sitting in a deep valley carved by a stream that once powered six silk mills. The village has an unusually industrial history for the Cotswolds — by the nineteenth century it was one of the most important silk-throwing centres in England, employing hundreds of people in its mills. When the silk trade declined, the mills fell silent and the village settled into a quieter existence, retaining a character shaped by its working past.

The mill buildings still stand along the valley floor, most converted to residential use but retaining their industrial scale. The church of St Peter and St Paul occupies a commanding position above the village and dates substantially from the twelfth century, with fine medieval stonework and good memorial tablets inside. The surrounding streets have a number of handsome seventeenth and eighteenth-century houses reflecting the prosperity of the mill owners' era.

Blockley has attracted artists and creative people for decades, partly because of its proximity to Chipping Campden — the original home of the Arts and Crafts movement in England. The village has a committed local community, a good pub and a handful of independent businesses. The surrounding countryside, including the deep combe of Blockley Brook and the high wolds above Bourton-on-the-Hill, offers excellent walking.