Why we love the Cotswolds

I moved to the Cotswolds in 1991. The house we found was built in 1790 and had been used as a school until it closed in the 1970s. It was a shell, but we had a vision for what we wanted to do.

We brought our three children up there, and my interior-design business was started at the kitchen table. About 10 years ago we began looking for a larger space for my business. People come to us for inspiration, so we wanted a studio that felt like a home. We found another Grade II-listed, 17th-century derelict building, which was built as a farm then used as a coaching inn. It was in disrepair, but we could see the potential. We’re so privileged to work on these historic houses and beautiful listed buildings, which are the mainstay of our work.

There is so much more to the Cotswolds than chocolate-box beauty. It has preserved wildlife, protected land and a wealth of historic villages. I love to walk, and spend many a weekend traipsing through the Slad Valley. Our design studio is on the Cotswold Way, a footpath with 100 miles of incredible scenery and undulating hills. I love the colour of the Cotswold stone, the hidden valleys, the historic houses and their gardens. Beauty comes from being inspired. When you’re surrounded by beauty, you can create it.

Emma Sims-Hilditch

My work takes me far and wide, but the Cotswolds has always been home. I have no intention of going anywhere else – I love it here. I was born and bred in Broadway, where my parents’ farm is, and I’ve just bought a gallery in Chipping Campden.

In 2018 I did a portrait series of RAF pilots, and they said that when they were coming back from missions abroad, they would look out for Lincoln Cathedral because they felt that was home. It’s the same for me when I’m returning from faraway places and I see Broadway Tower.

I like the familiarity of the countryside views – and, of course, my family and friends are here. I have two daughters and one of our favourite things to do is riding ponies up into the hills above Broadway, with a picnic. Riding is a lovely family thing to do, and deeply inspiring because you’re in the heart of the Cotswolds. My childhood was spent riding ponies in the hills, so I like the sense of continuity.

From an artistic perspective, you’re spoilt for choice here. The banks above Stanton, Stanway and Laverton towards Broadway are beautiful. When it comes to my work, I’m interested in themes that could be yesterday or 100 years ago. So much of the Cotswolds, with its old stone walls and architecture, has that timeless, nostalgic element.

Jeremy Houghton

I live in a charming two-bedroom cottage in Filkins that was built in the 17th century. I bought it in 2016 as a weekend refuge when I was working at Sotheby’s in London, where I was head of the impressionist and modern art department. I left in January 2020 to set up my own interior decoration and art advisory business. Once I did that, the amount of time I spent in London versus the country was reversed.

I grew up in the country in Devon, and the need to have that enjoyment back in my life became stronger after more than 20 years in London. During the first lockdown I explored the area by bike, connecting with the landscape and understanding how the villages link to each other. It was an amazing experience and confirmed my decision to be here more permanently.

Being here gives me the headspace to be creative. I’m an architecture nut, and the Cotswolds has everything: Blenheim Palace is of international significance and there are extraordinary examples of the vernacular, from exquisite manor houses to gorgeous cottages. You can see the legacies of William Morris at Kelmscott Manor, Ernest Gimson at Sapperton and the Guild of Handicraft in Chipping Campden. As someone who studied the Arts & Crafts movement, I enjoy this proximity, and I work a lot of those references into my interior decoration projects. There were all these incredible craftspeople here 100 years ago, creating something unique. I never cease to be thrilled by having that around me.

James Mackie

I’ve lived and worked in various places, but I always boomerang back to the Cotswolds. I’ve been in Chipping Campden for five years, my business has been here for eight years, and I’ve been in the area for 18 years. There are so many places to explore when I’m not working – Hidcote Garden, Kelmscott Manor and numerous beautiful walks on my doorstep.

People see me making hats through the window and stop to watch. I’m a member of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen and I’m proud to keep traditional crafts alive. Living here, I get to be around other creatives – it’s so nice to surround yourself with like-minded people.

We have a fantastic community in Chipping Campden. I have great friends and I’m always running into someone I know. I met my partner here and we’ve built a home together. It’s a new-build estate that overlooks the Coneygree, an open space on the edge of Chipping Campden, just a five-minute walk from my shop. I’ve got a perfect work-life balance – walking to the shop, soaking up the sunshine, enjoying my job and being able to create. To make a living this way is hard work, but it’s rewarding.

Louise Pocock

Illustrations: main image by Heather Gatley; all other illustrations by Darya Malikova