Swinbrook, described in one guide book as “just about the prettiest place you can imagine”, is one of those quintessential English villages found in and around the Cotswolds.  I knew of it as the birthplace of the infamous Mitford sisters but had never visited until recently.  At the center of the village stands the 12th century church of St. Mary, famous for the Fettiplace memorial and as the final resting place of four of the Mitford sisters: Unity, Diana, Pamela, and Nancy.

I arrived at St. Mary’s just as the service was about to begin.  If the Anglican church is in trouble, the message hasn’t reached the villagers of Swinbrook.  The place was packed.  It’s easy to poke fun at the gentle, safe Anglicanism of the English upper middle classes (the Tory Party at prayer, as someone once said) and I just about suppressed a snigger when the vicar asked the congregation to pray for the Prime Minister and her husband as they faced the Brexit vote in Parliament in the week ahead.  Is God a Remainer or a Brexiteer?

From tiny Swinbrook I drove to Burford, “the gateway to the Cotswolds”, famous for the sweeping High Street with its almost unbroken line of beautiful ancient buildings.  Although unmissable, Burford suffers slightly because of its beauty and popularity, attracting too many visitors at the height of the season.  That wasn’t a problem on a cold December morning and I was very grateful for the town’s many cafés.  Before leaving Burford I made a visit to its large, opulent medieval church, one of the finest of the region’s “wool churches” started in the 12th century.  A few parishioners were rehearsing for the Christmas carol service later in the day.  A perfect English scene to end a very English day.