The town's environs are quite flat and low-lying although it is situated at the northern extremity of the Cotswold Hills range.

During the Second World War, a large area of this flat land to the east of the town was developed as an airfield and became the base of No.

21 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU), flying mainly Vickers Wellington bombers.

[3] It is highly likely that the airfield inspired the title of the radio comedy series Much Binding in the Marsh.

[4] Two of the programme's stars, Kenneth Horne and Richard Murdoch, had served there as flying instructors.