This week Gerry Brooke explores the charming Cotswold villages of Hillesley and Kilcott.

The inhabitants of Hillesley, dragged screaming into the hated County of Avon back in the 1970s are now safely back in Gloucestershire – and much happier for that boundary change.

Way back in Saxon times the village name was recorded as Hildeslei, meaning “a clearing belonging to Hild“

Until the 1980s it was spelt Hillsley.

The parish church of St Giles – described by the poet John Betjeman as a “Victorian gem” – was built in 1851 on the site of a former chapel.

Spare a minute to look at the high bell tower situated above the roof.

As you would expect the village has some ancient houses amongst the more recent in fills – Yew Tree Cottage, for instance, is three hundred years old.

The farmhouse known as Lovettswood – a prominent landmark in the area – takes its name from the Lyvet family, who were lords of the manor here in medieval times.

The village inn, well worth having a drink in, or even a meal while you are here, dates back to the 17th century.

Called the Fleece it carries the insignia of the Wool Staplers Guild.

It comes as no surprise then, to hear that wool sales used to be held here.

But despite still having a thriving school, village life in Hillesley, as elsewhere, is rapidly changing.

A guide book from twenty years ago mentions a post office, a garage, a diary, a TV shop and the popular Coates bakery, a family run business which had been in the village for some 75 years.

All are now sadly gone.

The village Baptist church, which dates back to 1823, has now become a hall for school and community use.

Before you leave the village have a quick look at the bus shelter which was designed in 1952 by the internationally known architect, Berthold Lubetkin, who lived in a farmhouse at nearby Kilcott.

This hamlet, on the Cotswold Way, is noted for its ancient mill, which was restored in 1977 after a lull of some fifty years.

It’s said that the Baptists were immersed in the millpond here, which is fed by a Cotswold spring.

In fact Kilcott water mill is the only one left in the area with all its machinery still intact.

Beyond Kilcott and the Midger Wood nature reserve, is Nan Tow’s Tump, a Bronze Age burial chamber.

One of the largest in Gloucestershire the tree covered barrow is about thirty metres round and three metres high.

Local witch, or wise woman, Nan Tow, it’s said, was buried standing upright here.