Cotswold Lavender
Cotswold Lavender at Snowshill in Worcestershire is a working lavender farm that has become one of the most popular seasonal visitor attractions in the Cotswolds, its fields of English lavender providing a spectacular display of colour and scent across the gently rolling hillside from late June through August. The farm grows numerous varieties of lavender on south-facing slopes with long views across the Vale of Evesham and toward the Malvern Hills beyond, and the combination of the purple flowering fields, the characteristic honey-coloured Cotswold stone of the nearby village and the warm summer light creates a sensory experience that draws visitors from a wide area during the peak flowering weeks.
The farm was established commercially in 2000 and has expanded steadily to become one of the most significant lavender producers in the Cotswolds. The lavender is harvested and distilled on site to produce essential oil, dried lavender bunches and a range of lavender-based products sold in the well-stocked farm shop. Visitors can watch the distillation process during the harvest period, gaining an understanding of how the aromatic compounds in the flowers are extracted and preserved in a process that has been used for centuries across the Mediterranean and is relatively recent in the English context.
The peak of the flowering season, usually around late June to mid-July depending on the year's weather, is the most popular visiting time. Arriving early in the morning gives the best combination of light, scent and photography conditions before the main visitor numbers arrive later in the day.
The nearby village of Snowshill is one of the most unspoiled in the Cotswolds, and Snowshill Manor, managed by the National Trust, contains the extraordinary collection assembled by Charles Paget Wade in the early twentieth century, a vast and eccentric accumulation of Japanese armour, farm tools, spinning wheels, clocks and thousands of other objects that makes it one of the most unusual National Trust properties in England.