News

The last order date to get delivery by Christmas Eve is Friday 17 December.

This time of the year the postal service is obviously very busy and things slow right down. Based on previous experience even when sending with first class post (which is included on all orders) it can take 5-7 days for deliveries to arrive. With that in mind the last day that you can order to receive by Christmas Eve is Friday 17 December. Any orders placed after this day can't be guaranteed to make it.

Postings over the Christmas period

These dates are subject to change but I'll likely do a post on Monday 20 December (not guaranteed to make it for Christmas) and then on Wednesday 29 December for any orders that come in over the festive break. Things will then return to a standard two postings per week from Monday 3 January.

There's a brand new limited edition poster released today titled A Pint in the Cotswolds.

This one is something a bit different as it is in the style of vintage advert and celebrates the joys of a pint in a beer garden… so transport yourself away from short days to those hazy late summer afternoons! It is limited to just 25 prints at A4 size – each one is numbered and signed.

The winner of the giveaway will get a print + a calendar of their choice + a pack of Christmas cards of their choice! (In total worth £49)

In order to win one, all you need to do is sign up to the monthly newsletter between now and midnight Sunday 21 November 2021. The process:

• After signing up you'll get sent an email where you need to click the link to confirm.
• This will also give you a discount code for a free greeting card or magnet with a poster order (an extra bonus!).
• You'll then be signed up to the email newsletter – it's just one email per month with the latest products and the odd special offer.
• On Monday 22 November I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner of the limited edition poster and email them to arrange delivery!

Entry for this giveaway has now closed.

It's the Christmas fair/market season – a time when town centres and village halls come alive! There do seem to be more than ever this year (which is great after last year's pause) but I'll just be doing three of them. So if you're nearby do pop along to pick up the full range from this site plus framed pics – and of course to see all the other great stalls!

Somerford Keynes Christmas Fair
Saturday 20 November
10am-1pm
Somerford Keynes Village Hall

Cirencester Advent Festival Market
Saturday 27 November
11am-6pm
I'll be in the Lower Market Place (though there are stalls throughout the town centre)

Malmesbury Late Night Shopping
Friday 3 December
6-9pm
Malmesbury High Street

Posters

The Cotswold Way – new design!

Royal Wootton Bassett – new design!

Woodstock – new design!

Ashton Keynes – new design!

Malmesbury St John's Bridge – now available at 5x7 size

Sherston – now available at 5x7 size

Cards

Castle Combe Christmas Card 

Cheltenham Christmas Card

Rodborough Common Christmas Card

This is a short article which I put together for Ciren Scene magazine to put into a bit of historical context the poster designs that I create and why you won't find many original railway posters of this part of the world...

The railway poster has a history of promoting the great places of the UK throughout the early twentieth century, with the first pictorial poster created in 1905. The 1920s and 30s are considered the Golden Age of railway posters and went hand in hand with a rise in prosperity for working people and increased tourism. The GWR produced some particularly famous poster art, capitalising on its railway being the route to many popular seaside holiday destinations in the South West.

At that time the Cotswolds wasn’t considered much of a place to visit or holiday, despite its towns being part of the GWR network, as it was still very much a working agricultural region. By 1934 the great writer JB Priestly called the Cotswolds the “least spoiled of all our countrysides” but it wasn’t until 1966 that the Cotswolds became recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

As a result there are virtually no original railway posters from the early twentieth century depicting the Cotswolds other than a rather generic 1949 countryside design by Paul Chater. Since then places like Cirencester, Tetbury, and Malmesbury had train stations closed as the car took over and the railway became less prominent. 

Cotswold Poster Co aims to introduce a bit of that railway poster glamour to this beautiful area with modern takes on these travel posters, showcasing as many of our great towns and villages as possible. Now over 80 poster designs are available on the website, as well as greeting cards, Christmas cards, fridge magnets and 2022 calendars. They make good gifts for lovers of this part of the world too!