The Charm of Moreton In Marsh
Our ‘Cotswold Finest’ bespoke hikes start in the charming town of Moreton In Marsh.
Moreton In Marsh is a market town situated on the Fosse Way, in the northern section of the Cotswolds. You can reach the town in around 90 minutes from London Paddington Railway Station.
The History of Moreton In Marsh
The town has been a travellers town for at least 1,700 years and was regularly used as a coaching stop before the Oxford to Worcester Railway was built in 1853.
To this day there is still a market every Tuesday and it is reported as being the largest open air street market in the Cotswolds.
The high street still has many elegant eighteenth-century inns and houses including the Redesdale Market Hall, which was erected by Sir Algernon Bertram Freeman Mitford in 1887. Nowadays his name is more familiar due to his daughters being the well known Mitford Sisters.
It is thought that the oldest building is the sixteenth-century Curfew Tower, which can be found on the High Street. The Tower dates from the 17th Century and was in daily use until 1860 where its bell was rung nightly to remind people of the risk of fire at night.
Lord of the Rings
There are claims that The Bell Inn is the inspiration behind Middle Earth’s most famous pub in the book ‘Lord of the Rings’; the Prancing Pony.
It is also said the the Four Shire Stone, which sits around one and a half miles east of Moreton in Marsh, was also the inspiration for the Three Farthing Stone in the book.
The Four Shire Stone is actually a nine foot high monument that acts as a boundary marker for where the four historic English counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire used to meet.
What To Do In Moreton In Marsh
There are plenty of places to stay and eat in the town and you can, of course, just spend time wandering around the town looking in the shops or visiting the market should you be there on a Tuesday.
If you have more time and would like to explore further, click here to get plenty of ideas.
