What’s new in the Cotswolds, 2023 and beyond.

Recently opened accommodation

The Prince Of Burford is a newly refurbished pub and hotel converted from an 18th-century
coaching inn, located in beautiful Burford with 16 stunning ensuite rooms including dog-friendly and
family-friendly options available, this offers a great base for exploring the Cotswolds.
https://butcombe.com/the-prince-of-burford-oxfordshire/

Warner Hotels Group have undertaken an extensive refurbishment of their new acquisition
Heythrop Park Resort – a 440 acre estate with a 340 bed Grade II manor house hotel, spa and golf
course. The hotel reopened in autumn 2022 and now offers a range of packages including relaxing
wellness retreats for 2023. www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/hotels/heythrop-park-hotel

The Fox at Oddington - Part of the Bamford collection, this 19th century coaching inn sits at the
heart of the village and has been restored to its former glory using local craftspeople and a
sustainable approach. Now with bedroom interiors inspired by the surrounding countryside
and with a spacious Coachman’s House opposite for larger groups, a welcoming bar and
delicious food this inn looks forward to welcoming you. https://thefoxatoddington.com/

A world-class climbing park called 270 Climbing with sports

and adventure activities is coming to Gloucestershire. The
project will become one of the finest climbing centres in the
country, opening in a phased approach from Spring 2023.
The final phase to open will be the main roped climbing
arena facilities. With a range of indoor and outdoor activities
for all ages and abilities, it’s set to become an exciting
attraction for the local region and offer a vibrant facility for
climbers as well as families, groups and clubs.
www.270climbing.com

2023 see’s Hidcote celebrate 75 years with the National Trust with a year of programming and
exhibitions to celebrate Hidcote as a world-famous garden of
inspiration and creativity. This will include
 August 2022 to March 2023 Kaffe Fassett ‘Colour with
Kaffe at Hidcote’ exhibition exploring textiles artist Kaffe
Fassett’s use of colour throughout his work.
 September 2023 to November 2023 International
Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition at Hidcote
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hidcote

Wyck Hill House Hotel just outside Stow on the Wold was sold
to new owners in 2022 who have ambitious refurbishment
plans that will build on this well-known and popular hotel. It is
hoped the hotel will reopen in Autumn 2023 once renovations are complete.
www.wyckhillhousehotel.co.uk

Five star country hotel Ellenborough Park located just outside

Regency Cheltenham is currently undergoing a refurbishment of
all 61 guest bedrooms with some completely redesigned and
others extensively updated. The Horse Box Brasserie will also have
a complete style transformation. All the work is due to be
completed by March 2023. www.ellenboroughpark.com

The Living Room Cinema and Luxury Apartments

Work is currently underway to bring back to life a key site in the lovely
market town of Chipping Norton. Located on the High street, the
building being transformed over the next six months or so will become
luxury serviced holiday apartments as well as a two-screen boutique
cinema that will provide a unique independent film experience. It is
hoped the complex will be ready to open in 2023 and will be a great
addition to the Chipping Norton area.

Experimental Group acquired Cowley Manor in 2022 as the group’s first

UK property outside of London. The hotel is currently undergoing an
extensive refurbishment and is set to reopen in late spring 2023
including the introduction of four new rooms.
www.cowleymanor.com

A £1 million makeover is currently underway for Eden Hotel’s boutique four-star 16th century manor
house hotel. Renovation of The Greenway Hotel & Spa will see new life breathed into all 21
bedrooms, creating a “vibrant” and “opulent” look and feel for guests. Completion is expected in
January 2023 with the hotel remaining open during the renovation period.

www.thegreenwayhotelandspa.com

Refurbishment work started in Spring 23 on the old iconic Imperial Hotel located conveniently next
to the railway station in the market town of Stroud. Now renamed The Stroud, when completed
later this year, the hotel will have 25 bedrooms including 2 family suites and 4 luxury suites with a
restaurant and bar for you to get cosy in. The bar will be named The Bucknall Bar after the buildings
architect Benjamin Bucknall. The Restaurant and Bar will hold 106 people for dining and there will
be event space for 44 dining capacity.
www.thestroudhotel.com
Broadway tower underwent a restoration both inside taking the
building back to the days of its Georgian design and furnishings and
outside to preserve and protect the towers distinctive features for
the future. With the introduction of a new audio tour and multi-
media guide visitor’s can fully immerse themselves in the
fascinating story of Broadway Tower. Our nuclear bunker and
Royal Observer Corps post has recently re-opened and is open on
weekends and bank holidays.

Berrybank Park Amphitheatre

A stunning performing space set on an ancient wold with views
across the Evenlode Valley, this grassed amphitheatre rests
alongside a beautiful pavilion serving the best local food and
drinks. In this - its inaugural year – Berrybank is hosting a mixed
programme of entertainment – from Shakespeare to children’s
theatre, comedy, music and outdoor cinema.
https://www.amphitheatreberrybankpark.co.uk/

The Calcot Collections flagship property Calcot & Spa near

Tetbury is planning developments for 2022 and beyond.
Expansion plans include five new family suites, including
three treehouses, which will overlook 200 acres of
farmland. A new fitness facility will also be part of the
development.

https://www.calcot.co

A brand new event is coming to Cirencester. The Cotswold Wool Weekend will be happening from
29th April to 1st May celebrating the journey from farm sheep to fibre. With craft stalls, talks and
workshops, this event will bring together a mix of businesses for whom wool & the Cotswold sheep
is an integral part of the Cotswolds heritage to enable locals and visitors to learn so much more.
https://www.cotswoldwoolweekend.com/

Bathurst Estate Cirencester

Exciting development plans to encourage visitors to enjoy the park via a new welcome centre are
well underway for the estate in the centre of Cirencester. With new events planned, keep a check on
https://www.bathurstestate.co.uk/ for the latest news.

Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden, is a brand new and permanent cafe

and restaurant, at the Old Kennels site in Cirencester Park opening
Easter 23. Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden will offer a relaxed and friendly place serving up coffee,
breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea or takeaway daily, and dinner from Thursday to Saturday.
With sustainability at its heart, The Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden menus will showcase some of the
finest Cotswolds artisan produce from within a 25-mile radius alongside fruit and vegetables grown
in its own, on-site kitchen garden. www.rootsandseeds.co.uk

The Cirencester-based Corinium Museum announces their first touring

exhibition – Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets. From October 2022
through to April 2023, visitors will be able to 'get up and close' to six
unique skeletons from the Driffield Terrace excavation in York, and on
loan from the Jorvik Museum collection.
https://coriniummuseum.org/discover/gladiators/

From Summer 2023, visitors will be able to stay on a brand new Lodge
retreat set in the stunning Blenheim Palace Estate. Construction has
already started on a collection of one, two and three-bedroom lodges
partnered with Darwin Escapes

www.blenheim.org/news/luxury-retreat-lodges

Blenheim Palace is creating a giant new outdoor adventure play attraction as part of a major
development of its Walled Gardens. The large-scale attraction, set to open early in 2023 will cover a
site larger than a football field and celebrate the rich heritage of the 18th century baroque Palace, its
surrounding parkland and the natural world. Utilising natural materials and built to be as sustainable
as possible it will incorporate a series of exciting new features aimed
at different age groups ranging from toddlers to teenagers. Designed
by renowned Norfolk-based CAP.Co design, the 5,000-metre site will
include quirky wooden structures, interactive water
features, play trails and winding walkways.

https://www.blenheim.org/news/new-adventure-play-complex/

Fairytale Farm will be opening a major new outdoor themed play area in
summer 2023, its biggest ever investment since the Chipping Norton visitor
attraction opened in 2013. Fairy Dell will be a brand new, bespoke outdoor
play area, designed for all ages and abilities and will feature giant mushrooms,
raised walkways and bridges, crawl tunnel, clamber net, climbing wall and
slides. As well as Fairy Dell, there will be a new Willow Tunnel in Wilderness
Walk and you can see new Dinosaurs in Dino Valley. The site will also have a
new covered picnic area and the toilets have also had a complete rebuild for 2023.
https://www.fairytalefarm.co.uk/explore/straight-from-the-alpacas-mouth/

Treedwellers, Cornbury Park Estate near Chipping Norton

Set within the stunning Cornbury estate nestled in ancient woodland surrounded by
nature, you will be able to escape the stress of day-to-day life in 7 unique individual tree
houses. Opening in April 2023, the treehouses are ecocentricly planned and organically designed so
they respectfully blend into a spectacular living landscape.
www.treedwellers.com

The Willows, Bourton on the Water

Fuller’s newest acquisition – The Willow, has been completely transformed into a stunning pub and
restaurant in Bourton-on-the-Water and is due to open at the end of
March, with a delicious menu featuring fresh, seasonal, local produce,
an excellent range of beers, wines and spirits. It comprises a number
of distinct areas including an informal pub area and a table-service
dining room. In addition, a large garden offers lots of outside seating to enjoy the stunning views in
one of Britain’s prettiest villages.

A new event for Gloucester Cathedral will see it transformed by flowers as the NAFAS
Flower Arranging Show takes over the architecture for its National Show on 12 and 13
May 2023. There will be demonstrations and displays and a chance to see the cathedrals
stone walls illuminated by spectacular blooms.

There are also two new hotels currently under development in the city as part of a
wider regeneration focus for the City. The project should be completed by 2024.

Park Covert Woods Treehouses, Elmore Estate near Gloucester

Elmore Court and its ‘wild and unreserved’ lands are set to
open six new exclusive treehouses in 2023 as part of the
estate’s rewilding programme. Nestled amongst the trees of
Park Covert Woods situated on the Severn estuary, six
wonderful treehouses are currently under construction. Each
treehouse has been individually designed and features will
include, electric car charging points for each cabin, British
cedar cladding with corrugated roofs, cork flooring and poplar ply walls. Opening in Spring 2023 it
will allow those staying to connect to nature.
https://www.elmorecourt.com/treehouses/

Looking towards 2024

Designer Outlet Cotswolds – A new designer outlet planned
for near the M5 in Gloucestershire will bring thousands of
shoppers to the area and transform the region.
The six acre new retail and leisure destination is being built just off the A46 near Ashchurch and the
M5 Junction 9 for Tewkesbury. The first phase is planned to open in Spring 2024.
https://cotswoldsdesigneroutlet.com/

Longborough Festival Opera is an ambitious annual summer festival, taking place in a 500-seat
home-grown theatre in the North Cotswolds. 2024 sees a new
production of Wagner’s Ring created especially for Longborough
by Amy Lane, Artistic Director of Copenhagen Opera Festival, and
Longborough’s Music Director and eminent Wagnerian Anthony
Negus. Der Ring des Nibelungen (known as the Ring cycle) is a
story of gods, giants and heroes, and their struggles for power.
Wagner’s cycle is the most epic of tales, a monumental work of
art with a score that is searing, desperate and sublime. The full cycle consists of four operas taking
place across a week: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung and is the
pinnacle for any opera lover to enjoy. Cycle I: 16 – 22 June 2024, Cycle II: 25 June – 30 June 2024,
Cycle III: 4 – 9 July 2024
LFO.org.uk/ring

Mullins Motor Museum – Enstone

The £150-million car museum dreamt up by American collector

Peter Mullin for the UK is progressing through planning stages.
The plan is to build a classic car museum and exhibition building
at The Driving Centre, Enstone Airfield on the Great Tew Estate.
It is hoped it could be nearing completion late 2024.
https://www.themullinproject.co.uk/

Cotswolds Canal project

Work continues to bring the Cotswold Canals to life with the Cotswold Canals Connected, (Phase 1B
of the Cotswold Canals restoration project), marking the next exciting phase of canal restoration for
the Cotswolds. It will link the Stroudwater Navigation canal with the Gloucester and Sharpness canal
at Saul Junction. It will join our communities, towns and villages with the rest of the UK’s canal
network, present new business opportunities and create a vibrant tourist destination in the heart of
the Cotswolds.

For more information on what is new in the area, please email cotswoldstourism@cotswold.gov.uk