Bibury, Gloucestershire: Arlington Row, History & Things to Do in the Cotswolds

Bibury lies on the River Coln in Gloucestershire, about seven miles north-east of Cirencester. The 19th-century designer William Morris called it "the most beautiful village in England", and its row of steep-roofed weavers' cottages, Arlington Row, is one of the most famous views in the Cotswolds.

Why Bibury Is Special

Bibury is a village of water and stone. The clear, fast-flowing Coln runs right beside the main street, full of trout and ducks, and across the water meadow stand the honey-coloured cottages of Arlington Row, with their stone-slate roofs and tiny gardens.

It is a small place, perfect for a gentle morning, and an ideal starting point for exploring the villages, antiques towns and gardens of the Cotswolds.

The History of Bibury

Bibury's history goes back over a thousand years. The parish church of St Mary is very late Anglo-Saxon, with later additions, and is Grade I listed. From 1130 until the Reformation in the 16th century the church belonged to Osney Abbey in Oxford. A Roman villa was found by chance in the parish in 1880.

The cottages of Arlington Row were built in about 1380 as a monastic wool store. In the late 17th century they were converted into a row of cottages for weavers, who supplied cloth for fulling at nearby Arlington Mill. Wool washed in the Coln was hung to dry on the water meadow in front of the row, which is still known as Rack Isle.

The largest building in the village is Bibury Court, built in 1633 in the Jacobean style and the home of Lord Sherborne in the 19th century; it is now Grade I listed. Bibury also has a claim to sporting history: the Bibury Club, the world's first horse racing club, was formed in 1681 and held its race meetings on Macaroni Downs above the village until the early 20th century.

Arlington Row was preserved by the Royal Society of Arts in 1929 and restored by the National Trust in the 1970s; the Trust still owns it. Bibury Trout Farm, beside the river, was founded in 1902 by the naturalist Arthur Severn to stock local rivers with native brown trout.

The village has been used as a film location, most notably for Stardust (2007). Bibury Court was a hotel from 1968 until it closed in 2014.

Things to Do in Bibury

Walk along the river to the bridge, cross Rack Isle on the footpath and walk up Arlington Row. Please remember that the cottages are private homes, so keep to the path and respect the residents.

Visit the Saxon church of St Mary, tucked away near Bibury Court, and the trout farm, where you can see the fish and buy fresh trout. Then follow the riverside path upstream or down for a quiet walk through the water meadows.

For a longer outing, a well-loved circular walk follows the Coln downstream through fields and woods to the neighbouring village of Coln St Aldwyns and back, a gentle couple of hours in some of the quietest country in the Cotswolds.

Gardens, Countryside & Antiques near Bibury

Bibury is close to some of the best Cotswold browsing. Burford has Antiques at The George, Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the great antiques towns (see our Stow-on-the-Wold listing and Huntington Antiques), and Daylesford, near Kingham, is a favourite for food and homeware.

For gardens, Hidcote, Kiftsgate Court and Painswick Rococo Garden are all within an hour, and Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is near Tetbury. The Cotswolds National Landscape surrounds you.

Bibury Through the Seasons

Spring brings fresh green to the water meadows and lambs to the surrounding hills. Summer is the busiest season, so arrive early. Autumn mornings are often misty along the Coln, and in winter the honey-coloured stone glows in the low sun.

Getting to Bibury

There is no railway station in the village; the nearest is Kemble, near Cirencester, on the line from London Paddington. Parking in the village is limited, so arrive early.

Bibury: Questions & Answers

What is Arlington Row?

A row of cottages in Bibury built in about 1380 as a monastic wool store and converted into weavers' cottages in the late 17th century. It is owned by the National Trust and the cottages are private homes.

Who called Bibury the most beautiful village in England?

The 19th-century designer and craftsman William Morris.

Our Advice

Our advice: Come at breakfast time, when Arlington Row is quiet and the light is soft on the stone, then drive on to Burford or Stow for antiques in the afternoon.