Rectory Farmhouse

Originally a monastery with cellars dating back to the 14th century, this house was confiscated from a past owner by Henry VIII. More recently a working farmhouse, it has now been purchased and renovated by owners Sybil and Robert Gisby, no newcomers to the bed and breakfast business. Upstairs are two spacious bedrooms, each with its own thoroughly modern and luxurious bathroom en suite, as well as expansive views across the surrounding countryside. My particular favorite features an enormous crimson soaking tub. Downstairs, guests can relax in the sitting room with its comfortable sofas, inglenook fireplace equipped with wood-burning stove, and a plentiful supply of reading matter. A window seat provides views of the front garden. Breakfast is served farmhouse-style in the kitchen or in the conservatory, which is shaded by an impressive Black Hamburg grapevine or, weather permitting, outside on the patio next to the decorative fishpond. Lower and Upper Swell date back to Roman times, as evidenced by the coins found when Lower Swell’s church was being restored. Exploring Cotswold villages is a popular pastime, with Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, and Broadway being popular destinations.