It has all the benefits and beauty of the Cotswolds but without the price tag – and a burgeoning design community is finding a home here. Elizabeth Bennett explores the Notswolds

Interior designer Brian Woulfe has created his dream rural retreat by creating a sense of connection between this period property and its bucolic setting, all without resorting to structural or spatial changes

Once upon a time this house is said to have inspired the story of Alice in Wonderland. Now a new chapter is being written by the film director, producer and podcaster Chris Sweeney, who has turned it into a warm, welcoming and whimsical family home

Known as Ladyswood House, the Wiltshire property includes a swimming pool and a guest lodge.

Having found this tiny cottage in Oxfordshire five years ago, Victoria Barker has reversed the effects of a characterless renovation to create an irresistibly pretty interior

When Jamie's Farm bought a Georgian farmhouse in the bucolic Cotswolds, design firm Sims Hilditch helped transform it into a welcoming space for young people

Working with a team of specialists, the owners have made a series of clever interventions that have transformed the look and feel of the house without losing any sense of its history and character

With ingenuity and thoughtful design, Laura and Gracy Berkeley Hawkes have transformed a nondescript 1990s outbuilding in Laura’s garden into a fully equipped cottage, proving that even a modest footprint can capture the essence of country living.

Undoubtedly one of the most quintessentially charming portions of countryside in England, the Cotswolds also boasts some seriously lovely places to stay. We've rounded up our favourite hotels, inns and country retreats for those seeking an escape.

Fifteenth-century castles, marquees, Airbnb-ed mansions: we talk to the chefs conjuring up feasts in the most exclusive homes in the Cotswolds