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The area northwest of Cirencester has a number of lovely churches well worth seeking out, particularly in the Dunt Valley , one of the quietest corners of the Cotswolds yet just a stone's throw from the A417. The hilltop church at DAGLINGWORTH , just two miles from Cirencester, has an unremarkable exterior, but inside there are four small stone panels - of Christ in Majesty, St Peter and two of the Crucifixion - that are among the best preserved Anglo-Saxon carvings in the country. Less than a mile beyond (you can walk along the Dunt for most of the way), the Saxon church at DUNTISBOURNE ROUSE perches on a steep bank beneath the road. If you're driving, it's easy to miss; look for the small wooden sign in the hedge. The interior of the church can't quite live up to the setting, but it has a fine Norman chancel arch and a delightful thirteenth-century wall painting of daisies. On the other side of the A417, eight miles north of Cirencester and out of the Dunt Valley, ELKSTONE boasts the most beautiful Norman church in the Cotswolds. The fifteenth-century tower aside, the church retains its original Norman structure and carving, the latter at its best in the south porch. Inside, the simple harmony of the vaulted chancel outshines even the exquisite stonework around the arches and east window, the whole bathed in golden light from the side windows. A tiny spiral staircase on the left of the altar leads to a rare priest's dovecote above the chancel.
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