March, 2019
“Stone buildings in the Cotswolds embody the best English traditions of craftsmanship and ordered beauty. The attraction of a stone cottage in this beautiful countryside is hard to resist.” (Country Life.)
What is Cotswold stone?
The Cotswolds is limestone country. The golden brown to cream stone that typifies Cotswold villages was formed in the Jurassic period (206 to 144 million years ago) when the area was covered in a warm sea.
It is Oolitic Limestone, to be precise, usually composed of sand-like grains (oolites), most of which are skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, shells and sea urchins, all bound together by a layer of calcium carbonate from the saturated tropical water. The result is the golden, workable rock that is so abundant in the Cotswolds.
The texture enabled masons to produce interesting and intricate architectural details and some limestone occurring in thin layers, made it easy to split into roof tiles, so the character of a Cotswold building is formed – stone used for walls, floors and roof.
Its colour:
The twentieth century writer J. B. Priestley wrote of Cotswold stone that – “the truth is that it has no colour that can be described. Even when the sun is obscured, and the light is cold, these walls are still faintly warm and luminous, as if they knew the trick of keeping the lost sunlight of centuries glimmering about them.”
Did you know?
See our property listings here. Contact Pritchard & Company to find out about Cotswold properties for sale, including those not yet on the market. 01608 801030 or email to sales@pritchardandcompany.co.uk
When selling our house we were very impressed with the professionalism shown by Robert and especially the speed in which our house was sold. Thanks again and we look forward to using you in the future, should we move on! 
Mr & Mrs W.
If you are looking to sell your home in the Cotswolds you should look no further than Robert Pritchard. Although he was acting for the vendor if it hadn’t been for his experience and skill our purchase wouldn’t have gone through. Thank you for delivering our home to us.
Mr & Mrs H.
Many thanks for your friendly and professional help in selling our house recently, we had tried other agents over the course of a couple of years but without success. Your personal service and persistence took the sale to completion in record time – top marks!
Mr M.
Robert was highly effective in selling our cottage in the Cotswolds. It had failed to sell with another agent and he immediately realised that a new approach was required. The result was dramatic and resulted in a quick sale significantly above what the previous agent had estimated. We were, of course, very pleased. He was always very pleasant to deal with. On the basis of our experience I couldn’t recommend him more highly.
Mr P.
Robert has been steadfast in his support to us on the bumpy road to sale completion. Both buyers and sellers can be assured of a high level of service from the experienced team at his young Company to match the quality of the property offer.
Mr C.
Our house purchase has proceeded very smoothly and we thank you for the care and attention to detail which has attended us every step of the way.
Mr & Mrs B.
Pritchard and Company produced an excellent result for us with the buyer exchanging contracts in a timely fashion. As I am based overseas I was especially reliant on an agent working in my best interests and able to go the extra mile. Very pleased.
Mrs P.
Pritchard and Company sold our cottage in Spring 2018. It was an unusual property and a lot of work was needed before anyone could move in. It had been on the market the previous autumn with a different agent but failed to sell. Robert Pritchard had a different approach and suggested we spent a little time and money on the cottage before putting it on the market. He arranged for this to be done by very capable people. The cottage and garden were transformed. The first couple to look round put in an offer, which we accepted. From start to finish we felt in confident, safe hands. I highly recommend Pritchard and Company.
Mrs RP.
May I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to you and your team for the excellent service and attention to detail that I received from my initial contact with Pritchard & Company to the successful and seamless completion of the sale of my property. I shall not hesitate to recommend your service to others seeking professional excellence coupled with a personal approach.
Mr S.
Over a number of years, Robert Pritchard has acted for myself and my family. Throughout all negotiations, he has always acted in a highly professional manner, but has gone way above and beyond what would normally be expected. He has offered help and support in all aspects of transactions. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Pritchard and Company.
Mrs W.
I must thank Pritchard & Company for being easy and professional to deal with, very efficient in responding to and assisting in enquiries throughout the process, making the purchase of my first home very straightforward.
Mr W.
It has been a pleasure having Pritchard & Company deal with the sale of my property. From their engagement to completion the whole process has moved forward seamlessly which I put down to Robert's professional hands on approach. The rapport he built up with the purchaser in dealing with his questions and anxieties meant the sale moved forward without a glitch. I can honestly say Robert took a great weight off my shoulders and made the whole process stress free … Thank you.
Mr W.
Thank you for working so hard on the sale of our cottage and bringing it over the line.
Mr L.
Pritchard & Company found a buyer for our house in four days at the end of January! Their advice and attention to detail is second to none. We highly recommend them to anyone wishing to sell their home. Huge thanks to Robert, Pip and the whole team, you've been fabulous.
Mrs Y.
Robert has managed our house sale from beginning to end in a professional manner. We were attracted by his modern approach to marketing our property and as we were often away from the property having the company manage the viewings was really helpful. We were kept up to date with the negotiations and queries relating to the sale. Robert was proactive in ensuring the conveyancing process was completed in a timely manner and we would highly recommend Pritchard & Company to others.
Mr & Mrs G.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Pritchard & Company and Robert Pritchard in particular, for the excellent support they have been in the sale of my property. We would not have achieved the sale we wanted without his persistency and tenacity.
Mr M.
Pritchard & Company not only offered me excellent service in the sale of my Cotswold apartment, but were very effective in recommending and organising the right contacts to assist in minor repairs, removals and household clearance. The sale was also very swift and seamless. I cannot recommend Robert Pritchard and his company highly enough .
Mrs W.
Robert and his team at Pritchard and Company guided us through to a successful sale. They are friendly, approachable and extremely professional with an excellent local reputation. Their communication was excellent and continuous throughout our sale. We cannot recommend Pritchard and Company more highly - you can trust them to do their best by you.
Mr & Mrs K.
It has been a pleasure dealing with Pritchard & Company throughout the buying process and I will be recommending Robert and his team to anyone that ever crosses my path. Robert has been amazing, sensible, fair and acted with integrity.
Mr W.
I have to say that the service I received from Pritchard & Company was exceptional. Robert was always at the end of the telephone and was able to move things along by liaising with all parties and for that I am very grateful. I would definitely recommend Robert and the service Pritchard & Company provides.
Mrs W.
I want to thank Robert and the team at Pritchard & Company for all their efforts and support in selling our property. We have really appreciated Robert’s ability to help and advise on all aspects of marketing the property and for recommending tradesmen, gardeners and cleaners where needed. It has been clear throughout that nothing was too much trouble. Robert’s calm advice, wealth of experience and tact in dealing with negotiations has also been invaluable .
Mr & Mrs G.
We used Pritchard & Company to project manage a fairly extensive refurbishment of our apartment in a Listed mansion building. We were exceedingly happy with the way the project went, with Pritchard & Company's understanding of the intricacies of a Listed building and with their record keeping and update provision. They sourced suitable and skilled contractors, managed quotations and then kept control of the works and costs during the period of work. We would certainly recommend Pritchard and Company to anyone planning a similar refurbishment .
Mr & Mrs S.
The sale of our property was professionally and expertly handled by Pritchard & Company and Robert in particular paid close attention to all details to ensure that the purchaser and ourselves were kept up to date every step of the way, in fact Robert definitely went the extra mile. We decided to use Pritchard & Company after both a local and national estate agent had failed to generate any interest or viewings of our property. We would have no hesitation in recommending Pritchard & Company to sell any property, large or small.
Mr & Mrs G.
