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Swift's Hill SSSI

CotswoldsNature reserves in GloucestershireSites of Special Scientific Interest in GloucestershireSites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1966
The Vatch from Swifts Hill geograph.org.uk 217563
The Vatch from Swifts Hill geograph.org.uk 217563

Swift's Hill (grid reference SO877067) is a 9.15-hectare (22.6-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1984.The site is owned and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It was purchased from Mr F R Elliott in 1967 and is referred to as Elliott Reserve by the trust. It is, however, more widely known as Swift's Hill and designated as an SSSI under that name. A small stock-holding field (semi-improved pasture) was purchased for the trust by Swift Print of Stroud in 1989.The reserve is on the eastern side of the Slad Valley, and one and a half miles north-east of Stroud. No rights are registered, but the hill is common land and is unfenced and used widely by members of the public. The hill is one of the smaller ancient Cotswold Commons and provides panoramic views of the Slad valley which is described by local author Laurie Lee in Cider with Rosie. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may be from the many swifts which fly overhead.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Swift's Hill SSSI (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Swift's Hill SSSI
Knapp Lane,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.759299 ° E -2.178886 °
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Address

Knapp Lane

Knapp Lane
GL6 7LA
England, United Kingdom
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The Vatch from Swifts Hill geograph.org.uk 217563
The Vatch from Swifts Hill geograph.org.uk 217563
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Court House, Painswick

The Court House is a grade I listed house in Hale Lane, Painswick, Gloucestershire, England, within the Cotswolds. The house was built in the late 16th century with additions in 1604, for Thomas Gardener on the site of an earlier manor house. The exact dates of the earlier house are not known, but the manor house of Pain fitzJohn, who gave his name to the village, stood on the site in the first half of the 12th century. The demolition of the house in 1445 and subsequent rebuilding is recorded. It is known that King Charles I stayed at the house during the Siege of Gloucester in 1643. The house is still believed to be haunted by the king and his troops.The Cotswold stone limestone house has a two-storey front with a three-storey return wing supported by buttresses. The name "Court House" relates to the room used as a court with cells in the cellar beneath the rest of the building which held the prisoners awaiting trial. The 4 acres (1.6 ha) garden is surrounded by an 18th-century wall which is 18 metres (59 ft) long and 5 metres (16 ft) high, and includes a set of 11 semicircular steps near the house. Above the roof are stacks of tall chimneys. A path to the parish church crosses the garden.In 1942 a major sale of the contents of the house was held. The house itself was sold in the 1960s, and again in 2009 as a private house. After extensive renovation the house and its later 20th century additions is now used as a hotel.