| Negelsleag, A.D 700 is as far
back as we can go to identify Nailsworth with its past. Although a Roman altar found in
Hazel Wood might suggest much earlier beginnings, it was not until 1662 and the Act of
Uniformity that Nailsworth was set in stone, if you can pardon the pun. Through the centuries many groups have passed this way beginning in early
1600s with the Quakers who took time to settle in the town. Today the original 1680
Friends' Meeting House remains a little way along Chestnut Hill, off Cossack Square
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Nailsworth Water Fountain
(A memorial to William Smith, a popular townsman,
erected in 1862) |
Nailsworth lies deep in the bosom of three valleys
about 3 miles south of Stroud. Approaching from the South you descend down steep and
winding roads and can immediately see the beauty of its location. As you arrive in the
town's main street, however, prettiness does not spring to mind. And when you park in New
Market Street, even less so. But do not be disappointed. Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, for tucked away there are many delightful examples of 17th, 18th and 19th
century architecture, most of which are active in business and many occupied as they were
originally intended, as dwellings.
| One has to walk
Nailsworth to see these things below the modern facade. Take a little time to stroll,
perhaps beginning along Chestnut Hill, returning to Cossack Square and browsing along
Market Street, Butcher Hill's Lane and Brewery Lane. A ride up the side of the valley to
Shortwood will show off many old stone cottages, giving one the feel of more ancient
life-styles. |
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|
A view over Chestnut Hill |
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It is certain that you
will become impressed by the large number of old mills in and around the town. From about
1780, through the Industrial Revolution, Nailsworth became one of the country's most
active wool trading centres. The population during this period leapt from under 2,000 in
1800, to more than 3,000 by the early twentieth century. Today the town boasts a
population in excess of 5,000. |
A special stopping place should be Egypt Mill. Now
a hotel and restaurant, it has been fully restored while maintaining much of its original
structure. It has two working mill wheels. You cross the mill-stream by a wooden floored
link bridge from which a great deal of the original structure can be viewed.
This same stream is bordered by mills throughout the valleys and
these can be seen either by walking the cycle trail from Nailsworth to Stroud or as you
drive along the Stroud Road, although the latter is less rewarding. |