Arlington Row

The picturesque Arlington Row cottages in Bibury were built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. This was then converted into a row of weavers' cottages in the 17th century.

The cloth produced at Arlington Row was sent to Arlington Mill on the other side of Rack Isle. The cloth was then hung on wooden timber frames on Rack Isle after being degreased at Arlington Mill.

Today, the cottages are let to private tenants, with one of the cottages available as a holiday let.

Arlington Row is known the world over and attracts visitors from every corner of the globe.

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Arlington Row and Rack Isle - Photo copyright Bibury.com

Arlington Row and Awkward Hill - A photographer's and social media influencer's dream!

Arlington Row, the most photographed view in Bibury, is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Cotswolds, and probably one of the most photographed Cotswold scenes. As famous landmarks go, this competes with anything else the Cotswolds has to offer.

Arlington Row made the national news at the end of January 2015 when a bright yellow Vauxhall Corsa car parked near the cottages was accused of 'photobombing' and spoiling the view so loved by tourists. Must have been a slow news day!

In recent decades Arlington Row has become an extremely popular place for visitors

On any given day you will see many tourist walking up and down Arlington Row, and a quick search on Instagram will find another raft of Arlington Row selfies. So one of the best ways to see Arlington Row during the peak of summer, in the early morning before the most of the tourists arrive.

Arlington Row on film

You may think that a location as iconic as Arlington Row must have been used as a television location or film location using the beautiful scenery and backdrop of the weavers houses as the ideal setting. Well you'd be right! Arlington Row was one of the locations used in the 2007 romantic fantasy film 'Stardust', which starred Michelle Pfiefer, Robert de Niro, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Ricky Gervais.

Some websites claim that the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary was filmed at Arlington Row. While we know some of the filming took place in Snowshill (north Cotswolds) we cannot find evidence Arlington Row was a filming location.

View across Rack Isle towards Arlington Row

How to get to Arlington Row and Bibury

Bibury is located in the Cotswolds region of England, which is known for its rolling hills and charming villages. Bibury is on the B4425, 10 miles from Burford in Oxfordshire and 7.5 miles from Cirencester in Gloucestershire. The drive from Burford to Cirencester is flanked on both sides by open countryside and punctuated with small villages and settlements.

When travelling from the Burford direction, Arlington Row in located on your left as you enter the village. There is roadside parking, but this does get busy in peak times.

If you are travelling to Bibury from Cirencester then drive down to the bridge over the River Coln which is sandwiched between the main village street and an expanse of boggy water meadow known as Rack Isle. Immediately after passing over the bridge, follow the road to the right in front of The Swan Hotel. You will be able to see Arlington Row across Rack Isle to your right (see the photo above). There's a small parking area on the right hand side just before the bridge, and roadside parking as Arlington Row comes into view.

More Bibury parking information below.

Where to park in Bibury when visiting Arlington Row

If you are travelling to Bibury by car to visit Arlington Row, details of where to park in Bibury can be found on the parking in Bibury page.

Who owns Arlington Row and who lives in Arlington Row?

The National Trust owns the Arlington Row cottages and lease these wonderful properties to private tenants. One of the cottages (9 Arlington Row) is available as a holiday rental. And there are lots of other holiday cottages in the area.

Remember that the cottages on Arlington Row are homes. Please don't knock on the doors or peer through the windows, disturbing people in their own home.

Why is Arlington Row famous?

Henry Ford

It is believed that Henry Ford (1863 to 1947), founder of the Ford Motor Company and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production, was so taken with Arlington Row that he tried to buy the entire row of cottages so he could dismantle them brick by brick and ship them back to America. Luckily, for us, this never happened!

Emperor Hirohito

Japanese tourists flock to Bibury, and this is largely attributed to Emperor Hirohito (1901 to 1989) having stayed in the Bibury on his European tour when he was a Prince during the first half of the 20th Century.

William Morris

The 19th-century textile designer, artist, poet and craftsman William Morris (1834 to 1896) called Bibury "the most beautiful village in England" when he visited it.

A little yellow car

Arlington Row hit the headlines a few years ago, all because of a car - a yellow Vauxhall Corsa. The owner of the car used to park his vehicle alongside Arlington Row causing people to complain that it was spoiling (or 'photobombing') their photographs of the cottages! The bright yellow car was later vandalised, and the owner replaced the car with one in a much more subtle colour.

British passports

Between 2010 and 2015, people issued with a UK passport were able to see a colourful image of Arlington Row printed inside.