Cowley is a village that lies on the A453 road between Cheltenham and Cirencester along the Churn Valley. Its name originates from 'cow' and 'leigh', literally meaning cow pasture. Its main features are Cowley Manor which was owned by the Horlicks family and is currently being used as a country hotel. The local parish church of St. Mary lies next to the Manor and dates from the 12th century. The village pub is the Green Dragon which is not far from the Gloucestershire Girlguide HQ, Deerpark. The village used to own its own village hall (which used to be the old school house), however the parish council have sold this in recent years and it has been converted into a private residence. Considering that it has a pub, hotel, church, and Girlguide HQ Cowley still can boast a post box and telephone box as the only forms of public amenities. The local town and shops are in Cheltenham, and many people who live in the village work in Cheltenham, even though Cirencester is only 30 mins drive away. The village consists of approximately 40 houses and they are scattered around a circular road that curls up the edge of a small valley and then runs back down the bottom of the v shape. The 'back lane' has only two houses on it compared to the higher lane that holds most of the residents. Further up the small valley is a collection of three houses on a hilltop. One knows when they are entering Cowley from the A453 as they enter through two large pillars, either side of the road entrance, existing from the entrance of the Cowley Manor estate and the road is beautiful on any sunny day as the long avenue of oak trees splinter the light across the road. Attractions around the area include Cirencester, Crickley Hill Country Park, and Cheltenha. The village is very popular with ramblers and general Cotswold visitors.Many of the residents are not local to the area anymore, but have settled in the village due to its quick connections to London.
