Northleach is a delightful Cotswold market town tucked away from the busy A40, between gently rolling hills, at a crossroads on the Roman Fosse Way. The streets in and around the ancient Market Place are rich in architectural interest ranging from half-timbered buildings and merchants' houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, to the great House of Correction built at the crossroads in the 18th Century. Since the opening of the by-pass in 1984 Northleach has come to life, successfully balancing its traditional commerce with the demands of tourism.
For the visitor, Northleach is an ideal stop on the road from Oxford to Cheltenham, or between Stow and Cirencester. The town centre is compact and completely unspoiled, having changed little since 1500, except for the more 'recent' additions of late 16th and 17th century buildings, which split part to form The Green.
Here you walk through the small alleys leading off the Market Place and discover houses whose upper levels of timber framing overhang great stone built walls and wide oak doors. It is said that beneath the houses and streets of Northleach runs a maze of stone vaulted tunnels. Whether this was the result of mining or escape routes from a nearby monastery during religious persecution, few residents of Northleach could tell you.
While many rush along the A40, travelers who stop to discover Northleach will leave the town knowing that they have just shared one of the most delightful secrets of the Cotswolds.