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- or below for an article on Stroud.<br>
<a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud.htm">Creative Stroud</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-valleys.htm">Stroud
Valleys</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-open-studios.htm">Open Studios</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-arts-and-crafts.htm">Arts
and Crafts</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-cafes.htm">Stroud's Cafes</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-fringe-festival.htm">Fringe
Festival</a><br>
<a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/laurie-lee.htm">Laurie Lee</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-authors-and-poets.htm">Authors
and Poets</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-farmers-market.htm">Farmers Market</a> |
<a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/made-in-stroud.htm">Made In Stroud</a> | <a href="file:///D|/My%20Documents/Stroud%20Town/stroud-in-bloom.htm">Stroud
In Bloom</a> | <a href="stroud-history.htm">Stroud History</a></p>
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<h1>Stroud - The Arts and Crafts Capital of the English Cotswolds</h1>
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<table border=0 cellspacing=2 cellpadding=2 align=right width=195><tr><td align=right > <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_SWANLANE&Translate=no"><IMG SRC=/pics/Swan_Lane_sml.jpg ALT="Outside Woodruffs Organic café looking down Swan Lane." align=right width=195 height=357 border=0 ></A></td></tr><tr><td class=pic_caption align=center> <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_SWANLANE&Translate=no"><IMG src="/images/expand-20.gif" alt="enlarge picture" height=20 width=20 align=left border=0></A>Outside Woodruffs Organic café looking down Swan Lane.</td></tr></table><b>Deep in Gloucestershire where the Cotswold hills rise abruptly from the Severn Vale lies the town of Stroud. Encircled by five sweeping valleys, the scenery is dramatic and the feel of the town is bohemian, with cafes, galleries, markets and bookstores to potter around. Stroud is a small market town with large vistas, both visual and intellectual.</b><BR>
<blockquote>“Stroud is like Notting Hill with wellies.” - London Evening Standard.<BR>
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“I love the Stroud area because of the mix of industry and country. Where I live it is very close to the centre of Stroud and the edge of unspoilt countryside.” – Jamie Vans.</blockquote>
Stroud is most often characterised as grittier than its Cotswold neighbours
with an inimitable mix of landscape and industrial heritage. The mills
strung along the valleys and the town’s landmark buildings tell
of the once fabulous wealth of the woollen industry. The <a href=stroud-valleys.htm>five
valleys</a> that converge on Stroud each hold different treasures; innumerable
footpaths lead to stunning views, quiet Cotswold villages and welcoming
country pubs. The landscape made famous as the setting for Laurie Lee’s
“Cider With Rosie” possesses an intimacy, at once enveloping
and easily accessible, that has long been an inspiration to artists and
writers.
<table border=0 cellspacing=2 cellpadding=2 align=left width=195><tr><td align=left > <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_HIGHST&Translate=no"><IMG SRC=/pics/High_St_Cafe_sml.jpg ALT="Looking down Stroud High Street." align=left width=195 height=343 border=0 ></A></td></tr><tr><td class=pic_caption align=center> <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_HIGHST&Translate=no"><IMG src="/images/expand-20.gif" alt="enlarge picture" height=20 width=20 align=left border=0></A>Looking down Stroud High Street.</td></tr></table><blockquote>“Stroud has always been an artists' place and is very bohemian.” - Jilly Cooper in The Guardian.<BR>
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“Never to be forgotten, that first long secret drink of golden fire, juice of those valleys and of that time, wine of wild orchards, of russet summer, of plump red apples, and Rosie's burning cheeks.” Laurie Lee - Cider with Rosie.</blockquote>
Stroud's reputation as an “alternative centre” is expressed
by the residents' determination to save and improve the local environment,
both natural and built. This has driven a fight back against the retail
slump brought on by the arrival of the supermarkets and inspired an ongoing
cultural revitalisation of the town. Stroud now boasts a lively <a href=stroud-fringe-festival.htm>music
and dance festival</a> and a flourishing <a href=stroud-arts-and-crafts.htm>arts
scene</a> giving it an edge over many other towns and villages in the
Cotswolds. <BR>
<blockquote>“The Cotswolds' arts and crafts tradition is flourishing in Stroud” - Country Life.</blockquote>“With its secret valleys, honey-coloured stone villages, and deep sense of history and tradition, <table border=0 cellspacing=2 cellpadding=2 align=right width=195><tr><td align=right > <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_BAGELFISH&Translate=no"><IMG SRC=/pics/Bagel_Fish_Orchestra_sml.jpg ALT="The Bagel Fish Orchestra entertain at the Farmer's Market" align=right width=195 height=310 border=0 ></A></td></tr><tr><td class=pic_caption align=center> <A href="/home/article.asp?Tag=INTRODUCTION&Pic=IN_BAGELFISH&Translate=no"><IMG src="/images/expand-20.gif" alt="enlarge picture" height=20 width=20 align=left border=0></A>The Bagel Fish Orchestra entertain at the Farmer's Market</td></tr></table>
the area continues to be such a an inspiration to generations of creative
people.” – Johnny Coppin. There are now so many studios and
galleries that each June the town is the focus of a two week <a href=stroud-open-studios.htm>Open
Studios</a> festival, with over 100 contributing artists.<BR>
<blockquote>“Stroud is turning itself into the artistic equivalent of bookish Hay-on-Wye” - Daily Telegraph.</blockquote>
The Town’s unique location at the heart of the five valleys lets
the countryside seep right into the Town centre. From almost every street
expansive views are a constant delight painted by the play of the light
through the day and across the seasons. In the past year speciality markets
have become established. The highlight for many is the <a href=stroud-farmers-market.htm>farmers’
market</a> with its fresh organic food stalls, cookery demonstrations
and street entertainers, which enlivens the town making Saturday mornings
a great time to chill out in Stroud.<BR>
<blockquote>“Stroud is the Covent Garden of the Cotswolds...” - Jasper Conran.<BR>
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