The UK town that fans call the ‘most magical’ in England – but it comes with its very own curse
A UK town has been described as the “most magical” in England because of its stone buildings and scenery.
The small town of Painswick in the Cotswolds has been dubbed the “Queen of the Cotswolds” for many years.
But more recently holidaymakers have raved about the Cotswold town in a series of TikTok videos.
UK Travel posted a video on TikTok with the caption: “Is this the most magical town in England?”
The footage shows a Wisteria on a stone building as well as a narrow street lined with quaint buildings.
In the clip, the woman can also be seen skipping through a courtyard of yew trees and hopping out of a postbox too.
The video has had more than 400,000 views on the social media platform with users rushing into the comments.
Several people described the town as “beautiful” and “pretty”, while others compared it to the settings in films and TV shows like Stardust and Bridgerton.
One person wrote: “Painswick is a lesser known Cotswolds gem.”
Another person added: “England is like a huge garden country with a lot of beautiful towns and villages too.”
A third wrote: “[There are] many great towns and villages in the Cotswolds.”
Meanwhile, TikTok user Kseniiavlogs described the town as a “beautiful place to visit in the UK.”
Painswick is over a two-hour drive from London, and it’s just a 50-minute drive from Bristol.
The site can also be reached on a train from London Paddington where passengers will need to change trains at Swindon onto a serive bound for Stroud.
We’ve found one-way train tickets for £33.70 for a full-paying adult.
From Stroud train station, Painswick is a 10-minute drive away.
Even though Painswick is fairly small, there are several sites for day trippers to explore including St Mary’s Church.
The church lies in the heart of the town and is surrounded by a churchyard dotted with graves, tombs, and 99 Yew trees.
Local legends have talked of a curse that’s been placed over the churchyard.
Rumours have said that if a hundredth tree is planted in the yard, it will be destroyed by the devil.
According to Stround News & Journal, another tree was planted in 2000 to mark the new millennia.
While the tree is thriving, another one toppled over in 2007 following widespread flooding.
Some locals suggested that this was the curse, but the tree is still standing to this day.
Curses aside, there are other things to do in Painswick including New Street, which contains the oldest building in England to house a Post Office as well as the oldest bowling green in the country.
Visitors can also head to Rococo Garden – a huge 18th Century garden designed by Benjamin Hyett in the 1740s.
There’s also the Ashton Beer Collection, which is a museum and gallery housed in an old village church.
Painswick is also a stone’s throw away from other Cotswold towns like Burton-on-the-Water and Bibury.
Meanwhile, here are five cheap and free activities to do over the summer holidays.
And this huge new playground is set to open in the UK this week.