Artistic Heritage of the Cotswolds: 2026 Historic Church Tour of East Gloucestershire and North Wiltshire (Tour 1)

Explore the artistic heritage of five rural churches in the stunning Cotswolds landscape – enjoy medieval and Georgian churches with influences from the Arts and Crafts movement. 

All Saints’ Church, Shorncote: A delightful little church, south of Cirencester, that dates from about 1170. It has a pretty fourteenth-century double bell-cote. The church has a simple nave, whilst the chancel and the porch revealed the decoration which once embellished it’s walls. 

All Saints’ Church, Leigh: Just the chancel remains of this medieval church, abandoned to its wetland surroundings in the nineteenth-century. The arches and windows are thirteenth and fifteenth-century, while seventeenth-century texts adorn the walls. 

Church of St John the Baptist, Inglesham: Pioneering Victorian designer William Morris - from nearby Kelmscott - oversaw the restoration of this exquisitely beautiful and fascinating thirteenth-century church, ensuring it kept its original medieval identity. 

St Michael & St Martin’s Church, Eastleach Martin: This picture postcard medieval church holds many treasures, including beautifully carved thirteenth-century windows, a lectern made from Elizabethan table legs and bedposts, and a medieval font with an octagonal bowl. 

St Kenelm’s Church, Sapperton: The picturesque St Kenelm’s Church is a wonderful example of early Georgian design featuring beautifully carved Jacobean pew-ends and a collection of ornate memorials dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth-centuries.

Further information about each location can be found by clicking on the links above. 

This tour is a coach tour and includes lunch and entrance fees where appropriate.

Waiting List Please contact us at supporters@thecct.org.uk or call us on 0800 206 1436 if this event is sold out and you would like to be added to the waiting list. 

Accessibility Please note that on all of our tours, even our coach tours, there is a fair amount of walking, quite often over uneven and worn surfaces. They are not suitable for anyone with difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. In some circumstances, coaches may be unable to park near the church, and there may be walking over uneven land or tracks when approaching the church building. If you have any concerns, please contact us on 0800 206 1463 before booking. All tour details are correct at the time of publication. Please note that in the event that details are changed, guests will be notified as soon as possible. 

Cancellation Policy If you are no longer able to make a tour after booking, then please let us know as soon as possible. If you cancel your booking more than 1 month before the tour start date, then you will be entitled to a full refund. If you cancel within 1 month of your tour then, unfortunately, we are not able to offer a refund.