All Saints in North Cerney is, for many, the most attractive of all Cotswold village Churches, largely thanks to William Iveson Croome, of Cerney House, who lived between 1891 – 1967, and whose benefactions from 1913 onwards filled the church with exquisite furnishings. These were mostly designed by F C Eden and are amongst his finest work.

Frederick Charles Eden, architect and stained glass designer, was born in Hove, Sussex in 1864. He worked on several church restorations, adding Anglo-Catholic interior embellishments, his earliest being at St Protus and St Hyacinth, at Blisland in Cornwall followed by the interiors of Holy Trinity Church, Eltham in Kent and this one, All Saints’ Church, North Cerney. He was a leading authority on chancel screens in England and Wales.

The house, just above the church, is surrounded by a bowl of hillside and a wonderful walled garden, along with woodland walks, a ruined chapel, an ancient ice-house make it one of the most gently peaceful places to visit I have seen in a while. We met locals in the garden who told us it had been a saviour for them during the hellish lockdowns of the last few years, and I certainly felt infinitely more relaxed after our visit. I have a feeling we met one of the family who own the house, although she didn’t say so. We asked around to see if it was OK to film and met a charming lady stocking up the food in the café. Somehow her confident attitude and friendly response suggested proprietorship. If so, she was a descendant either directly or by marriage of Sir Michael and Lady Angus who bought the place in 1983. He was a highly influential man of business and warrants a google search.