Great Tew

Great Tew is picturesque village of thatched cottages in the Cotswolds. A few signs suggest the location of Loudon's Farm House and the property is not open to the public. But the tree belts which enclose the valley were substantially enhanced by Loudon and his Ferme Ornee could - and should - be restored. Great Tew is one of the few privately owned villages in England. Some of houses have been sold but its ancient character has been retained. Loudon leased the farm after catching rheumatic fever in the winter of 1806. The details of this event were recorded by Jane Loudon in her Life of her husband and narrated in Chapter 5 "Farming landscapes" in The Claudians (published by Tom Turner in 2025). The layout of the farms and the farm roads are much as planned and designed by Loudon and it appears that many of the ornamental trees (in the part of the farm nearest to Great Tew Village and elsewhere) were planted by Loudon.