Indeed, this summer saw Llewelyn-Bowen take his artwork on the road with Drawn to Adorn, a touring exhibition with Buckingham Fine Art that travelled from Brighton to Marlow and Stratford-upon-Avon, showcasing the exuberant, decorative paintings he has returned to with renewed gusto in his sixties. Yet while his canvases may be travelling the country, it is the Cotswolds that remain his enduring muse.
When he’s not roaming Byronically amidst Roman amphitheatres and rolling wolds, he can be found in the area’s best shopping haunts or gathering the family over perfect pub lunches. Here we ask Laurence to shepherd us around the places he loves most in the region he proudly calls home.
For someone who's never been to the Cotswolds what's the very first place you would take them?
So, for me the heart of Cotswolds is definitely Cirencester. It's always considered to be the capital of the Cotswolds, and something extraordinary is happening there – it's becoming the absolute epicentre of the lifestyle startup, so if you're wanting to indulge in coffee, clothes furniture, lifestyle, goods, accessories, this has become the place to come. For refreshment, I take them to Eleven Bibury, which is a restaurant and cafe that I designed last year. It's got the most spectacular gardens and the most beautiful views of Bibury, which is quite the most beautiful village in England.
If you only have one day in the Cotswolds and you could only show someone three places where would you take them morning, afternoon and evening?
Right, so for the morning I’d take them to the Cirencester Museum, which is one of the most fascinating museums if you like the Roman period. Cirencester held onto the Roman culture for a lot longer than anywhere else in the country and, in fact, Corinium Dobunnorum as the Romans called it was the second capital city in Roman Britain. The museum itself has got some fascinating and fabulous local artefacts and some great restorations, so you can see what Cirencester would have been like in the Roman Period. Then we head off to lunch at The Bell at Sapperton, which is one of the most exquisite Cotswold pubs and gives anyone visiting a fabulous sense of what it's like here. Then in the afternoon I'd go for a walk in Cirencester Park, which is the fabulously landscaped space around the Cirencester mansion house where Alexander Pope, the great poet and garden designer, was very much involved in the layout of the grounds. It's one for anyone that really fancies a slice of Bridgerton living, imagining you’re wafting around in a high-waisted frock and being escorted by gentlemen in breaches and top hats.
Complete this sentence: If you only see one thing in the Cotswolds make it….
Make sure it's a ‘wold’. A wold is actually kind of a hill, it describes the fact that the landscape around is very undulating, so it's got that real kind of picture-postcard-filtered feel. Funnily enough I think everywhere you look feels a little bit like a neoclassical painting.
What's your favourite place in the Cotswolds that most visitors don't know about but absolutely should?
One of the most stunning experiences is the roman amphitheatre just outside Cirencester. The Romans were very clever when they were looking for somewhere to have their events and gladiatorial contests. They decided to use a natural indentation that had been caused by quarrying. It’s now just the most extraordinary bit of natural landscape because obviously nature has reclaimed the space, but various local historians feel that it might also be the origin of the King Arthur roundtable myth. They believe that King Arthur could well have been based there after the Romans left and used the amphitheatre as a big circular space to congregate with his knights. You can indulge in a tremendous bit of fantasy play acting and a bit of cosplay... and why not bring yourself a picnic at the same time?
Which three shops in the Cotswolds do you always find an excuse to visit?
The Cirencester Antique Centre is an amazing trove of incredible, quirky and really very, very unusual antiques and vintage bits and pieces. My grandchildren adore it. They call it the wobbly shop because it's very typically Cotswoldian – the buildings here are prone to being on lots of levels. Another place I love to go is my tailor, Barrington Ayre, which is above the Cotswold Contemporary Gallery, and has a fabulous luxury lounge with various whiskeys. It's a real gentleman's retreat. Then one of the nicest places to go is the retail shop at Eleven Bibury where Lady Ann Evans has curated extraordinary collection of Cotswold craft and contemporary giftables – it's one of those places I think you really feel you're making a discovery every time you look at the shelves.
Where do you go for a really good lunch and what do you order?
One of our favourite places for lunch as a family is The Wild Duck in Ewen, which has just recently been reopened. It's a large Cotswold pub – there’s always a sense of space and the garden is absolutely wonderful. In terms of ordering, it's always a really good idea to ask what's on the specials menu. The big thing about Cotswold cuisine is that there's plenty on the menu that's designed to appeal to visitors and tourists, but always ask to see what the chef himself has suggested for that day because that's the sort of thing that will really take you by surprise and create a very memorable dining experience.
You’re splashing out on a hotel: where do you go?
One of them most fabulous boutique hotels in the Cotswolds is the Ingleside Hotel, just within spitting distance of Cirencester. It's connected to the Barn Theatre which is currently very much taking everyone by storm as several of the productions have transferred to the West End. Ingleside has a really fabulous ability to be the world's most perfect Cotswold Boutique Hotel whilst giving a real sense of international hospitality standards, which not all Cotswold hotels meet.
You're splashing out on a pampering fix: where do you go?
For something to really get your blood pumping – a real special treat that you won't be able to get anywhere else – go for a walk! Go on one of the most incredible, invigorating and absolutely beautiful Cotswold walks. You'll feel so much better at the end of it and best of all, it is free.
Where do you go for a great coffee or tea?
The best coffee in the Cotswolds is served at Eleven Bibury. The commitment to creating a real barista experience is absolutely extraordinary. If you have it in the garden, you will be surrounded by the most typical Cotswold beauty at the same time.
Who is your favourite local artist and where can people find their work?
One of the best places to get a sense of the Cotswolds’ very dynamic tradition of arts and crafts is the Brewery Arts Centre in the middle of Cirencester. They have a fabulous selection of makers and some of them are based on site, which means that you can actually visit their workshop which is very, very exciting.
Who is your favourite local florist?
Roses Florist in Cirencester has a fabulous ability to make floral art feel both contemporary but at the same time very romantic in a traditional context.
Where do you go when you are celebrating?
Funnily enough one of the places that we use an immense amount if we are celebrating is our local pub, The Greyhound Inn, Siddington, which is a fabulously straightforward village pub. It has a very extensive and extremely good value menu and also so feels very much like something that is part of a community rather than just simply being a tourist attraction.
Where do you go for a proper culture fix?
For a proper culture fix I visit Kelmscott Manor House, which is on the other side of the Cotswolds, near the Oxfordshire end. It's the country house of William Morris, a design icon of mine. The house itself has recently been refurbished, and it really brings alive the William Morrison aesthetic, giving a sense of how he lived there with his wife Janey, and his two daughters.
Where do you go when you need a big view?
One of the best views in the Cotswolds is from the top of the long ride at Cirencester Park. The good news is it's accessible to the public, but one of the lovely things about it is the very historical feel. On one side, if you turn behind, you've got the typical rolling view as you'd expect but point in the other direction and you have the very manicured very choreographed vision of garden designer Alexander Pope who laid the park out in the very early 18th-century, which culminates in the extraordinarily beautiful 14th-century spire of the parish church.
Finish this sentence: if you really want to experience the Cotswolds properly you should…
I think come in the winter when it’s at its most challenging, but also its most serene, without the visitors, without the sunshine. There's something beautifully spookily artistic about the skeletal trees against the horizon and the whole character and colour palette changes. There's something so much more painterly about it but it also gives you the most brilliant excuse to then dive into a local pub and get yourself a pint of beer and sit by the fire.
Who is your ultimate local hero and why?
The ultimate local hero has to be the late Dame Jilly Cooper who only recently died. Her fabulously naughty novel Rivals is set in a fictional county she called Rutshire, which is in fact Gloucestershire, around a fictional town she called Cotchester, which is in fact Cirencester. She always brought such a sense of naughty fun to the Cotswolds which gives it an additional very glamorous kind of sparkling layer on top of the fabulous nature and the sensational surroundings.
To buy work from Laurence Llewelyn Bowen’s Art Tour Drawn to Adorn with Buckingham Fine Art please visit Cotswold Contemporary.
Photographer Credit: Dragos Tirlungeanu & @dragos.lifestyles
FAQs: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Cotswolds
Where is Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's favourite place in the Cotswolds?
Cirencester, which he describes as the true heart and capital of the Cotswolds, thanks to its Roman history and burgeoning lifestyle scene.
Where does Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen recommend for lunch in the Cotswolds?
For a special lunch, he heads to The Wild Duck and recommends asking for the daily specials to experience the best of local cooking.
What is the best hotel in the Cotswolds according to Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen?
He recommends Ingleside House, praising its boutique charm and international-standard hospitality.
Where can visitors find the best coffee in the Cotswolds?
At Eleven Bibury, where he says the coffee and garden setting are equally exceptional.
What is the best view in the Cotswolds?
The Long Ride at Cirencester Park, with its sweeping vistas across rolling countryside and the striking spire of Cirencester's parish church.
What is the best time of year to visit the Cotswolds?
Surprisingly, winter. Laurence loves the serenity, dramatic landscapes and the excuse to retreat to a roaring pub fire afterwards.
Who was Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's ultimate Cotswolds local hero?
The late Jilly Cooper, whose mischievous novels captured the glamour, eccentricity and sparkle of Cotswold life.
