Cotswold

Local authority district in Gloucestershire, England

Coordinates:	51.84, -1.97
OS grid ref:	SP 02 16

The Cotswold district sits in the rolling limestone landscape of Gloucestershire, encompassing much of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its honey‑coloured villages and hedgerow‑lined lanes run across escarpments and valleys, with headwaters of the River Thames around Kemble and a scattering of lakes known as the Cotswold Water Park. The administrative centre is Cirencester, the largest town and a former Roman capital of the region.

Market towns such as Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh reflect the area’s medieval wool wealth, with distinctive Cotswold stone buildings and an active heritage sector - Cirencester still has a Roman amphitheatre and museum. The district has strong artistic associations, from the Arts and Crafts movement centred around Chipping Campden to contemporary galleries and craft workshops, and is criss‑crossed by long‑distance routes including the Cotswold Way.

Economically the district leans on agriculture and tourism, with many small independent shops, craft businesses and hospitality enterprises alongside commuters travelling to Gloucester, Cheltenham and Swindon. It is generally prosperous but faces familiar rural pressures: rising house prices, second‑home ownership, an ageing population and the challenge of sustaining local services. Balancing conservation with sensitive development is therefore a prominent local concern as communities seek to preserve character while remaining viable places to live and work.

Cotswold postcode districts

Most populated places in Cotswold

Places in Cotswold

Ampney Crucis Built-up area
Andoversford Built-up area
Arlington Built-up area
Avening Built-up area
Bledington Built-up area
Blockley Built-up area
Bourton-on-the-Water Built-up area
Chedworth Built-up area
Chipping Campden Built-up area
Cirencester Built-up area
Coates Built-up area
Didmarton Parish
Donnington Parish
Down Ampney Built-up area
Fairford Built-up area
Kemble Built-up area
Lechlade Parish
Lechlade-on-Thames Built-up area
Longborough Built-up area
Meysey Hampton Built-up area
Mickleton Built-up area
Moreton-in-Marsh Built-up area
Northleach Built-up area
Northleach with Eastington Parish
Poulton Built-up area
Quenington Built-up area
Somerford Keynes Built-up area
South Cerney Built-up area
Stow-on-the-Wold Built-up area
Stratton Built-up area
Tetbury Built-up area
Tetbury Upton Parish