track was taken up. Since , much of the parish's land became large gravel pits. After removal of the gravel layer the void leads to lakes, and by 2010 these resulting shallow lakes covered about half of the parish land. Since 1967 the lakes here and of nearby parishes in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire – over – have been designated as the Cotswold Water Park, with areas for nature conservation, recreation and holiday accommodation. To take gravel lorries away from the villages, and to provide access to the water park, from 1971 the Spine Road was built across the parish, its east end connecting with the A419 Cirencester-M4 road. A south-west locality, mostly of the 20th century, remains known as Derry Fields. The Bruderhof In 1936, a German pacifist group known as the Bruderhof bought 200 acres (80 ha) at Ashton Fields, near Ashton Keynes, to serve as a mission post. In 1937 this became the group's main home, when it was forced to leave Germany. The membership grew to over 350, with many young English conscientious objectors joining. However, even before the Second World War, the group was boycotted locally. In 1940, the Bruderhof was given the choice of leaving England as a group or having its Germans interned and its Englishmen conscripted, and decided to leave. Most members left for Paraguay, but a few stayed in England, bought a farm near Ludlow, and moved there in March 1942. Religious sites Parish church The Church of England parish church of the Holy Cross has stood since the late 12th century at what is now on the northwest edge of the village. Of coursed limestone, it has a west tower, nave with narrow aisles, and chancel with north chapel. It was altered in later centuries, and restored to designs by William Butterfield in 1876–77 yet it retains early features: the north arcade was built in two phases from the late-12th century to the mid-13th after the south arcade – built around 1200. The chancel arch has three carved orders; Butterfield made this wider and taller but keeping stonework from the late 12th century. The north chapel is from the early 13th century. In the next century the three-stage tower was built, the walls of the aisles were rebuilt and the clerestory (outer superstructure) was added; altogether giving the form close to that of today. The north and south porches were added