THE PIG In The Cotswolds

In the honey-stone village of Barnsley, THE PIG-in the Cotswolds occupies a 17th-century former rectory wrapped in the celebrated gardens of Rosemary Verey. Her knot garden, long vistas, clipped topiary and famous Laburnum Walk remain at the heart of the estate, now joined by THE PIG’s productive Kitchen Garden, hyper-local cooking and Fieldhouse spa. It is a country house stay rooted as much in England’s gardening heritage as in the surrounding Cotswold landscape.

Story

Barnsley House was built in 1697 and served as the village rectory from the 18th century until around 1930. But its defining chapter began when David and Rosemary Verey made it their family home in the 1950s.

Here, Rosemary gradually created the garden that would establish her as one of Britain’s most influential garden designers. Working around older walls, trees and architectural features, she developed a distinctly English composition of formal structure and abundant planting, including long vistas, a knot garden and the now-famous Laburnum Walk. The garden became internationally known and influenced generations of gardeners.

THE PIG acquired Barnsley House in 2024. Rather than reinventing its identity, the team has made Verey’s gardens central to the hotel, combining them with its own longstanding philosophy of kitchen gardening, seasonal food and local sourcing.

Why we selected THE PIG In The Cotswolds

A landmark of English garden history

Rosemary Verey created one of the 20th century’s most influential English gardens here. Its original structure and many of its defining features remain integral to the property today.

The garden is still evolving

This isn’t a historic garden preserved behind ropes. THE PIG’s gardeners continue to cultivate the estate, while the Kitchen Garden produces vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and fruit for the restaurant throughout the year.

The menu belongs to its surroundings

Anything the team cannot grow or rear themselves is sourced, wherever possible, from farmers, bakers, butchers, growers and other producers within 25 miles — making the surrounding Cotswolds part of what arrives on the plate.

It remains connected to village life

The house sits within the small village of Barnsley rather than on an isolated estate, with The Village Pub directly across the road — THE PIG’s first village pub.

Local life & traditions

The Cotswolds have been shaped for centuries by sheep farming, limestone villages, kitchen gardens and an agricultural landscape of fields, hedgerows and market towns. Barnsley embodies that quieter rural character: a small honey-stone village surrounded by farmland, with Cirencester — an ancient market town with Roman roots — just four miles away.

Gardening is particularly important here. Rosemary Verey’s work at Barnsley helped shape the modern idea of the English country garden, combining formal structure with generous, romantic planting. Today that tradition continues alongside THE PIG’s working Kitchen Garden, while the restaurant connects guests with nearby growers, cheesemakers, bakers, butchers and farmers.

Authentic experiences in the area

Walk Rosemary Verey’s garden

Explore the garden she created around her own home, from clipped topiary and long vistas to the celebrated Laburnum Walk and knot garden.

Walk from one Cotswold village to another

Set out from Barnsley through fields, woodland and honey-stone villages, exploring the landscape on foot before returning for a drink at The Village Pub or beside the fire. THE PIG provides tried-and-tested local walking routes.

Eat within 25 miles

Follow the Cotswolds through the restaurant’s changing menu, built around the morning’s garden harvest and produce sourced from small-scale suppliers within the surrounding area.

E-bike through the Val d’Orcia

Explore the rolling landscapes of the Val d’Orcia by e-bike, passing through vineyards, olive groves and hilltop villages such as Pienza and Montepulciano, while uncovering the history and traditions that shape this UNESCO-protected region.

Protecting culture & land

The most important responsibility here is protecting Rosemary Verey’s garden as a living landscape. Its historic framework has been retained, allowing one of Britain’s influential 20th-century gardens to remain part of everyday life rather than becoming detached from the house it was created around. Historic England recognises the garden for its special historic interest.

THE PIG’s own approach adds another layer. Its Kitchen Garden grows produce throughout the seasons, while its 25 Mile Menu prioritises nearby farmers, growers, cheesemakers, bakers and butchers for ingredients the estate cannot produce itself.

Location & surroundings

THE PIG sits in Barnsley, Gloucestershire, a tiny Cotswold village approximately four miles from Cirencester.

The house is surrounded by rolling countryside, fields and characteristic limestone villages. Cirencester, once the important Roman town of Corinium, is nearby, while Bibury, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Campden make it a particularly good base for exploring the Cotswolds.

Key details

Address

Barnsley, Cirencester
Gloucestershire
England

Getting here

By train: Kemble is the most convenient nearby station, with onward travel by taxi to Barnsley.

By car: Around two hours from central London depending on traffic, with Cirencester approximately four miles away.

By plane: Bristol and Birmingham are useful regional airports; Heathrow is the most practical major international airport when travelling from London.

Facilities

Fieldhouse Spa

Outdoor thermal pool

Sauna & steam room

Treatment rooms

Daily Kitchen Garden tours

Restaurant overlooking Rosemary Verey’s gardens

More

Individually designed bedrooms

The Village Pub across the road

Walking routes from the hotel

Words from the owners

“It has been in my peripheral vision for many years as a possible acquisition, always thinking it would make a perfect ‘Pig’.”

— Robin Hutson, Founder, THE PIG

Every stay booked direct keeps value with the people of this place, so they can reinvest in culture, community and land

We believe travel should give back more than it takes; that it can protect cultures, not erode them.

That is why we connect you directly with each hotel’s own website. By booking direct, value remains in the hands of those who shape these places, enabling reinvestment into local culture, community, and land.