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Square
Market Square
Market place where charter fairs were held; most surrounding buildings date from the 18th and 19th centuries.
A mini guide to
Stow-on-the-Wold
A hilltop market town around a large square where the Royalists surrendered in 1646
Photos
1 / 2Welcome to the area
A hilltop market town around a large square where the Royalists surrendered in 1646
Stow-on-the-Wold stands on a hill about 244 metres high, with the Roman Fosse Way, now the A429, running through it. Its large Market Square has held charter fairs since 1330 and is still the centre of town.
St Edward's church, the medieval market cross and the 18th and 19th-century buildings around the Square are all within a few minutes' walk. In 1646 the Royalists surrendered here at the end of the Battle of Stow.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Monument
Market Cross
Late-medieval cross in the Market Square, restored in 1878, where Stow's market and fairs were held.
Historic building
The Talbot
Grade II listed building of about 1714 on the Square, built as a coaching inn and used as the corn exchange from the 1840s.
Gallery
Fosse Gallery
Commercial gallery on the Square showing contemporary art.
Chapel
Stow Baptist Chapel
Grade II listed chapel of 1852 on the site of an earlier meeting house, behind houses on Sheep Street.
Church
St Edward's Church
Parish church with yew trees at its north porch; hundreds of prisoners were held here after the Battle of Stow in 1646.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Stow-on-the-Wold and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Coaches use two different places
The town council says coaches drop off outside the police station on the High Street, with a strict 10-minute limit, and park at the Maugersbury Road coach park.
2
Pay by phone or card
Stow's council car park is on Maugersbury Road. Cotswold District Council car parks take PayByPhone or contactless card payment, not cash.
3
Check the town council's calendar
The council lists events such as the farmers' market. Fair days (May and October) are reported to close local pubs and shops, so check before travelling.
4
Ask at the Visitor Information Centre
The council points visitors to stowinfo.co.uk for local information, and publishes a town leaflet with a map.
Tips from the Britlens editors
The Cotswolds
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Burford
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Stow-on-the-Wold (area photo): Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Market Square: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Market Cross: Richard Law, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- The Talbot: Rodw, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fosse Gallery: Rodw, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Stow Baptist Chapel: Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- St Edward's Church: Gary Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Battle of Stow memorial: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Our Lady and St Kenelm: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bourton-on-the-Water: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Burford: bongo vongo, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cirencester: Tony Grist, Public domain, source
- Chipping Campden: nick macneill, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Broadway: Jeff Gogarty, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring the Cotswolds