Book excerpt: Following a brief introduction to the Arts and Crafts Movement, this text chronicles the arrival of a succession of artists, architects, craftsmen and designers in the Cotswolds during the second half of the 19th century. Having come under the influence of William Morris, they sought to realize in the Cotswolds the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement, with its emphasis on the importance of creative manual work and the breakdown of the barrier between designer and maker, looking for inspiration to the English countryside.