Owlpen is the small parish adjacent to, and immediately East of Uley. It is one of the smallest parishes in Gloucestershire with 16 houses, 12 holiday cottages and a population of 34. This hidden and picturesque valley is half a mile from Uley accessed from The Green via Fiery Lane, a single-track road. The Parish unfolds within an amphitheatre of wooded hills open to the West and is within the Cotswold National Landscape Area.
With no civic assets and no budget Owlpen is termed a ‘Parish Meeting’ with matters of common interest being discussed by residents at their annual meeting. For matters of wider concern Owlpen works closely with Uley PC.
Despite its size Owlpen is a busy place with several farms, forestry and woodyards, a Forest School and holiday accommodation.
Owlpen Manor with its formal topiary terraced gardens and magnificent yew trees sits in the heart of the valley and dates from the 1400’s. Today the Tudor Manor is an exquisite location for weddings, films and musical recitals.
The Church of the Holy Cross stands above the Manor. Its medieval origins were substantially revised in the 1800’s and adorned with beautiful mosaics and stained-glass windows which contrast with the simplicity of the whitewashed interior.
Owlpen was once described by King Charles as the epitome of the English village, and Vita Sackville-West proclaimed in 1941, ‘Owlpen in Gloucestershire – Ah what a dream in there!’