Gloucester
Gloucester | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 51°52′N 02°15′W / 51.867°N 2.250°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | England |
Region | South West England |
Non-metropolitan county | Gloucestershire |
Status | Non-metropolitan district, city |
Admin HQ | Gloucester |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | Gloucester City Council |
• Leadership | Leader and cabinet (Conservative) |
• MPs | Richard Graham (Conservative) |
Area | |
• Total | 15.65 sq mi (40.54 km2) |
• Rank | 259th (of 296) |
Population (2021 Census[1]) | |
• Total | 132,416 |
• Rank | 177th (of 296) |
• Density | 8,500/sq mi (3,300/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
UTC+1 (BST) | |
Postcodes | |
Area code | 01452 |
ONS code | 23UE (ONS) E07000081 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | SO832186 |
Website | gloucester |
Gloucester (
Gloucester was founded by the Romans and became an important city and colony in AD 97, under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis.
It was granted its first charter in 1155 by Henry II. In 1216, Henry III, aged only nine years, was crowned with a gilded iron ring in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral. Gloucester's significance in the Middle Ages is underlined by the fact that it had a number of monastic establishments, including St Peter's Abbey, founded in 679 (later Gloucester Cathedral); the nearby St Oswald's Priory, founded in the 880s or 890s; and Llanthony Secunda Priory, founded in 1136. The town is also the site of the siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces in the First English Civil War.
A major attraction of the city is
Economically, the city is dominated by the service industries and has strong financial, research, distribution and light industrial sectors.[3] Historically, it was prominent in the aerospace industry.
In 1926, the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company at Brockworth changed its name to the Gloster Aircraft Company because international customers claimed that the name Gloucestershire was too difficult to spell. A sculpture in the city centre celebrates Gloucester's aviation history and its involvement in the jet engine.
Toponymy
From the city's Roman name,
A variant of the term -cester/chester/caster instead of the Welsh caer was eventually adopted. The name Gloucester thus means roughly "bright fort". Mediaeval orthographies include Caer Glow, Gleawecastre and Gleucestre.[5]
History
Roman Gloucester
Glevum was established around AD 48 at an important crossing of the River Severn and near to the Fosse Way, the early front line after the Roman invasion of Britain. Initially, a Roman fort was established at present-day Kingsholm. Twenty years later, a larger legionary fortress was built on slightly higher ground nearby, centred on present-day Gloucester Cross, and a civilian settlement grew around it. Probably the Roman Legion XX Valeria Victrix was based here until 66 and then Legio II Augusta[6] as they prepared to invade Roman Wales between 66 and 74 AD, who stayed later until around 87.[7]
Gloucester became a Colonia in 97 as Colonia Nervia Glevensium, or Glevum, in the reign of Nerva. It is likely that Glevum became the provincial capital of Britannia Prima.[7]
Within about 15 years new privately constructed properties replaced the earlier barracks and public buildings, temples and bath houses were under construction in stone. Piped water began to be supplied. Drains and sewers were laid. On the site of the legionary principia an imposing central forum was laid out surrounded by colonnades and flanked on three sides by part-timbered ranges of shops. Closing off the south of the forum was the 100m x 40m Basilica. Many fine homes with mosaic floors were built in the town.
At its height, Glevum may have had a population of as many as 10,000 people. The entire area around Glevum was intensely Romanised in the second and third centuries with a higher than normal distribution of villas.
At the end of the 3rd century or the start of the 4th, major changes were made to the city's 2nd century wall. It was replaced in two stages by a stronger and higher one of stone resting on massive reused stone blocks. In the second stage, the blocks rested on deep timber foundation piles. Stone external towers were added; two parallel wide ditches were also cut in front of the new walls.
Remains of the Roman city can still be seen:[8][9]
- Many archaeological artifacts and some in-situ walls in the Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery
- The remains of the Roman and mediaeval East Gate in the East Gate Chamber on Eastgate Street.
- Northgate, Southgate, Eastgate and Westgate Streets all follow the line of their original Roman counterparts, although Westgate Street has moved slightly north and Southgate Street now extends through the site of the Roman basilica.
Post-Roman Gloucester
Withdrawal of all Roman forces and many societal leaders in about the year 410 may have allowed leading families of the
The first bridging point on a navigable, defensive barrier, great river and the foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by
In 1051 Edward the Confessor held court at Gloucester and was threatened there by an army led by Godwin, Earl of Wessex, but the incident resulted in a standoff rather than a battle.
Middle ages
After the Norman Conquest,
During
Henry granted Gloucester its first charter in 1155, which gave the burgesses the same liberties as the citizens of London and
In 1216 King Henry III, aged only ten years, was crowned with a gilded iron ring in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral.[14] During his reign, Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany his cousin was briefly imprisoned at Gloucester Castle as state prisoner from 1222 to 1223, and from 1237 to 1238, in addition to sometime during the reign of King John.[15]
Gloucester's significance in the Middle Ages is underlined by the fact that it had a number of monastic establishments, including St Peter's Abbey founded in 679 (later Gloucester Cathedral), the nearby St Oswald's Priory, Gloucester founded in the 880s or 890s, Llanthony Secunda Priory, founded 1136 as a retreat for a community of Welsh monks (now near the western bypass),[16] the Franciscan Greyfriars community founded in 1231 (near Eastgate Shopping Centre),[17] and the Dominican Blackfriars community founded in 1239 (Ladybellegate Street).[18] It also has some very early churches including St Mary de Lode Church, Gloucester near the Cathedral and the Norman St Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester in Southgate Street.
Additionally, there is evidence of a Jewish community in Gloucester as early as 1158–1159; they lived around present-day East Gate Street and had a synagogue on the south side, near St Michael's church.[19][20] Gloucester was probably the home of Rabbi Moses, who established an important Anglo-Jewish family. The Jews of the town were falsely accused by the Dominican monks of murdering a child, Harold of Gloucester, in an attempt to establish a cult similar to that of William of Norwich, which failed entirely. Nevertheless, the accusations were recycled around the time of the Edict of Expulsion. In January 1275, Eleanor of Provence expelled Jews from all of the towns within her dower lands, and the Jews of Gloucester were ordered to move to Bristol but finding an especially difficult situation there, relocated to Hereford.[21]
In the Middle Ages the main export was wool, which came from the Cotswolds and was processed in Gloucester; other exports included leather and iron (tools and weapons). Gloucester also had a large fishing industry at that time.
In 1222, a massive fire destroyed part of Gloucester.[22]
One of the most significant periods in Gloucester's history began in 1378 when Richard II convened Parliament in the city. Parliaments were held there until 1406 under Henry IV of England. The Parliament Rooms at the Cathedral remain as testimony to this important time.
Gloucester was incorporated by King Richard III in 1483, the town being made a county in itself.
Early modern era to contemporary period
The City's charter was confirmed in 1489 and 1510, and other charters of incorporation were received by Gloucester from
Gloucester was the site of the execution by burning of John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, in the time of Queen Mary in 1555. In 1580, Gloucester was awarded the status of a port by Queen Elizabeth I.[28]
The 16th and 17th centuries saw the foundation of two of Gloucester's grammar schools: the Crypt School in 1539 and Sir Thomas Rich's School in 1666. Both still flourish as grammar schools today, along with Ribston Hall and Denmark Road High School.
During the English Civil War, the fall of nearby Bristol encouraged the reinforcement of the existing town defences. The siege of Gloucester commenced in 1643 in which the besieged parliamentarians emerged victorious. The Royalist's plan of bombardment and tunnelling to the east gate failed due to the inadequacy of the Royalist artillery and the besieged sniping and conducting artillery fire on the Royalist encampment.[29]
By the mid-17th century, only the gatehouse and keep of Gloucester Castle remained, the latter of which was being used as a gaol until it was deemed unsuitable and demolished in the late 1780s. By 1791, the new gaol was completed leaving no trace of the former castle.[30]
In the 19th century the city grew with new buildings including Wellington Parade and the Grade II listed Picton House (c. 1825).[31]
The 1896 Gloucester smallpox epidemic affected some 2000 residents.[32]
During the
Gloucester's most important citizens include
In
In 2009, Gloucester Day was revived as an annual day of celebration of Gloucester's history and culture. The day originally dates from the lifting of the Siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces during the First English Civil War.[34]
Coat of arms
Gloucester is one of the few cities in England with two coats of arms. The first consists of three chevrons surrounded by ten roundels. The chevrons come from the arms of the Clare family, who were earls of Gloucester from the 12th to the 14th centuries, while the roundels come from the arms of the Bishop of Worcester, whose bishopric historically encompassed Gloucester. This coat is the older of the two, though it is usually termed the "Commonwealth coat", as it was not officially granted to the city until 1652, during the Commonwealth period. The crest and supporters (lions bearing broadswords and trowels) were also adopted at this time, along with the motto Fides Invicta Triumphat ("unconquered faith triumphs", in reference to the royalist siege withstood by the city in 1643).
The second coat, termed the "Tudor coat", was granted in 1538. It features the roses of York and Lancaster, the boar's head of Richard III, a ceremonial sword and cap, and two horseshoes surrounded by nails, to represent Gloucester's historical association with ironworking.
Although grants made by Commonwealth
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Gloucester, at district (city) and county level: Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The Quedgeley area of the city is a civil parish with a town council, forming a third tier of local government; the remainder of the city is an unparished area.[37]
History
Gloucester was an ancient borough, being treated as a borough from Saxon times and being granted its first known borough charter by Henry II in 1155. In 1483 the town of Gloucester was given the right to appoint its own magistrates, making it a county corporate, administratively independent from the surrounding county of Gloucestershire. When the Diocese of Gloucester was founded in 1541, the town was given the right to call itself a city. The city was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Gloucester was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from Gloucestershire County Council.[38][39]
Gloucester Guildhall at 23 Eastgate Street was built in 1892 and served as the city's administrative headquarters until 1986, when the council moved to North Warehouse at Gloucester Docks.[40][41]
On 1 April 1974, the modern district of Gloucester was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the same area as the abolished County Borough of Gloucester.[42] The reforms also saw the city become subordinate to Gloucestershire County Council, losing the independence it had held since 1483. The parish of Quedgeley was subsequently transferred into Gloucester from Stroud District in 1991.[43] Quedgeley retains its own parish council, unlike the rest of Gloucester, which is an unparished area. In 2017, Quedgeley Parish Council changed its name to Quedgeley Town Council, making it a town within a city.[44]
Geography
Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire, and is the 53rd largest settlement in the United Kingdom by population.[45] In 2002, its population was 110,600.[46] It has the traditional lowest bridging point of the longest river in Great Britain, connecting it with Over. The 2011 census recorded that the city had a population of 121,921 and by 2016 its population was estimated to be 128,488.[47] The city's urban area extends beyond its boundaries, with several outlying districts. The 2021 census gave the population of the Gloucester Urban Area as 169,061, absorbing areas such as Brockworth and Churchdown.[48]
The city is located on the eastern bank of the
Gloucester is made up of a variety of neighbourhoods, some of which correspond to electoral divisions of the City Council.
- Abbeydale
- Abbeymead
- Alney Island
- Barnwood
- Barton and Tredworth
- Coney Hill
- Coopers Edge
- Elmbridge
- Hempsted
- Hucclecote
- Kingsholm
- Linden
- Longford
- Longlevens
- Matson
- Podsmead
- Quedgeley †
- St. Pauls
- Tuffley
- Wotton
- Westgate
- White City
† Quedgeley is the only town within the city's borders. Because of this it has its own town council.[44]
Green belt
The city itself contains no green belt; however it is bordered to the north east by the green belt in the surrounding Tewkesbury district, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban sprawl and unplanned expansion towards Cheltenham and Innsworth, as well as protecting smaller nearby villages such as Churchdown, Badgeworth, Shurdington, and Twigworth.
Climate
Climate data for Staverton Private (Gloucestershire Airport), 6km from Gloucester (2005-2015) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
16 (61) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
15 (58) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4 (39) |
4 (39) |
5 (41) |
7 (45) |
11 (52) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
12 (54) |
10 (50) |
7 (45) |
4 (39) |
9 (48) |
Average rainy days | 13.8 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 14.8 | 15.8 | 15.0 | 16.9 | 16.6 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 16.0 | 15.2 | 175.7 |
Average snowy days | 2.5 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 7.9 |
Average relative humidity (%) (daily average)
|
82 | 78 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 63 | 63 | 68 | 71 | 77 | 83 | 83 | 72 |
Average dew point °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
3 (37) |
3 (37) |
6 (43) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
12 (54) |
12 (54) |
11 (52) |
9 (48) |
6 (43) |
4 (39) |
7 (45) |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 4.0 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.8 |
Source 1: Time and Date (2005-2015)[49] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather Atlas (daily sun hours, rain days and snow days)[50] |
Demography
Ethnicity
Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 estimations[51] | 1991[52] | 2001[53] | 2011[54] | 2021[55] | ||||||
Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
White: Total | 84,386 | 94.7% | 95,791 | 94.3% | 101,692 | 92.5% | 108,462 | 89.1% | 112,461 | 84.9% |
White: British | – | – | – | – | 99,045 | 90.1% | 102,912 | 84.6% | 103,317 | 78.0% |
White: Irish | – | – | – | – | 1,101 | 850 | 800 | 0.6% | ||
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller
|
– | – | – | – | – | – | 136 | 224 | 0.2% | |
White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 296 | 0.2% |
White: Other | – | – | – | – | 1,546 | 4,564 | 7,824 | 5.9% | ||
Asian or Asian British : Total
|
– | – | 2,426 | 3,330 | 3% | 5,839 | 4.8% | 8,543 | 6.5% | |
Asian or Asian British: Indian | – | – | 1,707 | 2,108 | 3,204 | 4,481 | 3.4% | |||
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | – | – | 177 | 301 | 639 | 1,160 | 0.9% | |||
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | – | – | 94 | 357 | 490 | 802 | 0.6% | |||
Asian or Asian British: Chinese | – | – | 214 | 289 | 448 | 497 | 0.4% | |||
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | 234 | 275 | 1,058 | 1,603 | 1.2% | |||
Black or Black British: Total | – | – | 2,786 | 2.7% | 2,523 | 2.3% | 3,486 | 2.9% | 4,826 | 3.6% |
Black or Black British: Caribbean | – | – | 2,042 | 2,044 | 1,880 | 2,149 | 1.6% | |||
Black or Black British: African | – | – | 127 | 241 | 1,100 | 1,912 | 1.4% | |||
Black or Black British: Other Black | – | – | 617 | 238 | 506 | 765 | 0.6% | |||
Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | 2,103 | 1.9% | 3,565 | 2.9% | 5,014 | 3.8% |
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 1,310 | 2,139 | 2,694 | 2.0% | ||
Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | 121 | 316 | 569 | 0.4% | ||
Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | 341 | 551 | 869 | 0.7% | ||
Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | 331 | 559 | 882 | 0.7% | ||
Other: Total | – | – | 596 | 0.6% | 237 | 0.2% | 336 | 0.3% | 1,570 | 1.2% |
Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | 119 | 332 | 0.3% | |
Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | 596 | 237 | 217 | 1,238 | 0.9% | |||
Non-White: Total | 4,687 | 5.3% | 5,808 | 5.7% | 8,193 | 7.5% | 13,226 | 10.9% | 19,953 | 15.1% |
Total | 89,073 | 100% | 101,599 | 100% | 109,885 | 100% | 121,688 | 100% | 132,414 | 100% |
Religion
Religion | 2001[56] | 2011[57] | 2021[58] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
Holds religious beliefs | 85,280 | 77.6 | 81,488 | 67.0 | 72,001 | 54.3 |
Christian | 81,687 | 74.3 | 75,881 | 62.4 | 63,145 | 47.7 |
Buddhist | 150 | 0.1 | 311 | 0.3 | 401 | 0.3 |
Hindu | 488 | 0.4 | 728 | 0.6 | 1,283 | 1.0 |
Jewish | 68 | 0.1 | 50 | <0.1 | 64 | <0.1 |
Muslim
|
2,477 | 2.3 | 3,885 | 3.2 | 6,200 | 4.7 |
Sikh | 87 | 0.1 | 134 | 0.1 | 255 | 0.2 |
Other religion | 323 | 0.3 | 499 | 0.4 | 652 | 0.5 |
No religion | 15,661 | 14.3 | 31,851 | 26.2 | 52,507 | 39.7 |
Religion not stated | 8,944 | 8.1 | 8,349 | 6.9 | 7,908 | 6.0 |
Total population | 109,885 | 100.0 | 121,688 | 100.0 | 132,416 | 100.0 |
Attractions
A good number of
Kings Square is at the heart of the city centre and occupies what was once a cattle market and bus station. Officially opened in 1972, it was the centrepiece of a radical redesign of the city, The Jellicoe Plan, which was first proposed in 1961. It stands beside the Debenham's (formerly Bon Marché) store built in the early 1960s. Many of the features of the redevelopment have since been dismantled; the brutalist concrete fountains in the middle of the square have gone and the overhead roadways which linked three multi storey car parks around the centre have been either closed or dismantled. The main bus station received a Civic Trust Award in 1963 but has since been demolished, with a new bus station being constructed on the same site during 2018. In 2012 a £60 million plan was unveiled to revamp the square.[61] In 2014 the prominent Golden Egg restaurant was demolished and a new look public space was created. A prior archaeological dig revealed a Roman house underneath.[62]
An indoor market opened in Eastgate Street in 1968, followed by the Eastgate Shopping Centre in 1973.
Gloucester Leisure Centre opened on the corner of Eastgate Street and Bruton Way in September 1974 and was redeveloped and rebranded (as "GL1") in August 2002.
The 1966 Heights Plan for Gloucester sought to restrict construction of tall buildings and defend spiritual values by protecting views of Gloucester Cathedral.[65] The tower of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, started in 1970 and completed in August 1975, can be seen from miles around. In Brunswick Road, a brown concrete tower, which housed classrooms at the Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology (now moved to a site near Llanthony Bridge). The tower was added incongruously to the existing 1930s Technical College buildings in 1971 which has now been demolished. Clapham Court, a tall block of flats, stands in Columbia Close, between London Road and Kingsholm Road. It was built in 1963 and stands on what was once Columbia Street in a small district formerly known as Clapham.
Other features of interest include the museum and school of art and science, the former
The city's Northgate and Southgate streets feature a series of public art mosaic panels depicting Gloucester's medieval trades made by artists Gary Drostle and Rob Turner in 1998 and 1999. Eastgate and Westgate streets feature a series of mosaic panels made by arts group 'The Pioneers'.
Culture
The Three Choirs Festival, originating in the 18th century and one of the oldest music festivals in the British Isles, is held in Gloucester every third year, the other venues being Hereford and Worcester. Gloucester hosted the festival in 2019, and it is next due in the city in 2023.
The city's main theatre and cultural venue is the Guildhall.[66] The Guildhall hosts a huge amount of entertainment, including live music, dance sessions, a cinema, bar, café, art gallery and much more. The Leisure Centre, GL1, hosts concerts and has a larger capacity than the Guildhall.
The annual Gloucester International
Gloucester is also noted as the home of the Frightmare Halloween Festival, the largest Halloween festival in the South West.[69]
The main museum in the city is
The Tailor of Gloucester House which is dedicated to the author Beatrix Potter can be found near the cathedral.
Since 2013 Gloucester has marked Armed Forces Day with a Drum Head Service held on College Green in the shadow of the cathedral. This is followed by a parade of serving forces, veterans and cadets through the city centre to the docks for a family day with military and military-related charity displays and entertainment in Back Badge Square in front of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum.
Nature in Art is a gallery dedicated to the display of works of art inspired by the natural world.
The city features in the popular, well-known nursery rhyme (of unknown date and origin) about a Doctor Foster, who reportedly visited the city, got wet, and swore to stay away as a result.
Churches
Gloucester has many churches, and historically has also had many dissenting chapels.[70] It may have been the old proverb "as sure as God's in Gloucester" that provoked Oliver Cromwell to declare that the city had "more churches than godliness". Gloucester was the host of the first Sunday school in England; this was founded by Robert Raikes in 1780. Four of the churches that are of special interest are
- St Mary de Lode – with a Norman tower and chancel, and a monument of Bishop John Hooper. It was built on the site of an ancient Romantemple which became the first Christian church in Britain
- Crypt Schoolwas formed
- St Michael's Church – said to have been connected with St Peter's ancient abbey
- St Nicholas's Church – founded by the Normansbut with many additions since then.
In the neighbourhood around St Mary de Crypt there are slight remains of Greyfriars and Blackfriars monasteries, and also of the city wall. Under the Golden Fleece (The Monks Bar) and Saracen's Head inns early vaulted cellars still remains. In addition, in the city is St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, a Grade II* listed building.[71]
During the construction of the Boots store on the corner of Brunswick Road and Eastgate Street in 1974, Roman remains were found. These can be seen through a glass case on the street. At the back of the Gloucester Furniture Exhibition Centre part of the city's South Gate can be seen.
Education
There are three endowed schools: the historic
The city is home to one of three campuses of the University of Gloucestershire, based at Oxstalls, just outside the city centre. The university has also purchased the former Debenhams store in the city centre with a new campus due to open there in 2023. The university also manages student accommodation and halls of residence in the city, with the other campuses based in Cheltenham 7 miles away.
Transport
Roads
The
Until the construction of the
Railway
- Transport for Wales operates a route between Maesteg, Bridgend, Cardiff Central, Chepstow and Cheltenham Spa.[72]
- Nottingham services, via Birmingham New Street.[73]
- London Paddington, Swindon, Westbury, Bristol Temple Meads, Cheltenham, Worcester, Great Malvern and Weymouth.[74]
Gloucester was the site of the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company railway works, which have now closed. A new station at Hunts Grove has been floated on the southern edge of the city near Quedgeley, as part of MetroWest plans to extend Bristol commuter services to the city.[75]
Buses and coaches
Most local buses are run by
Canals
Gloucester is linked to the Severn Estuary by the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which is navigable by small coasters. The city is linked to the River Avon and Stourport-on-Severn by the navigable part of the River Severn, which is navigable by river craft of a few hundred tonnes' displacement. Gloucester Docks mark the Normal Tidal Limit (NTL) of the river.[77] Gloucester was formerly linked to Ledbury and Hereford by the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal; and subsequently by the Ledbury and Gloucester Railway, which used the southern section of the former canal, until it also closed in 1964. This canal is now being restored and the restored canal basin in the adjacent village of Over is a local attraction.
Air
Commercial airports with scheduled services are Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff 40–60 miles away; global hub Heathrow is about 100 miles by road and shares with Gloucester its main rail interchange at London Paddington.
Gloucestershire Airport, sited 8 miles east of the city, is a private and special charters airfield.
Business and industry
Gloucester has a long history in the
The large insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance is based in the city, as is its owner, the charity Benefact Trust.[78] Lloyds Banking Group and TSB Bank each have an office in Barnwood, the former previously having been the headquarters of Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society.[79]
Gloucester was the home of Priday, Metford and Company Limited, a family milling firm which survived for over one hundred years, and hydraulic engineering firm Fielding & Platt.
Sport and leisure
- Gloucester was a host city for the Rugby World Cup in 1991 and in 2015 when it hosted four matches at the Kingsholm Stadium with national teams from Japan, Georgia, USA, Scotland, Tonga and Argentina.
- Allianz Premier 15'sthe top flight of women's rugby union in England.
- Meadow Park is the home of Gloucester City A.F.C., founded in 1883, of the National League North. The club played outside of the city from 2007 until 2020 due to the 2007 floods.
- Horton Road Stadium was the home of Gloucester City A.F.C. from 1964 to 1986 and a short lived greyhound racing stadium.[81][82]
- The Gloucester Cricket Festival is held in Gloucester at the King's School.
- Gloucester City Swimming Club competes in county and national swimming championships.[83]
- Gloucester City Hockey Club is based at the Oxstalls Sports Park, with teams entered in the West Hockey Leagues.[84]
- The American Football are based in the city at Oxstalls Tennis Centre, and play at a national level in the British American Football League
- The university of Gloucestershire All Golds is the city's only professional Rugby league club, playing in the semi professional Championship 1 from 2013. They play their home games at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham
- Conference League South playing home games at the Oxstalls Sports Park
- BUCSleague
- Public sports facilities are focused on the GL1 leisure centre, a large modern sports centre with several swimming pools, a multi-use sports hall, indoor bowls room, squash courts, gym and health spa.
Media
BBC Radio Gloucestershire has its studios on London Road in Gloucester. Heart West, previously Severn Sound, is based in Bristol. Gloucester FM is a community radio station specialising in black and urban music. (Sunshine Radio, which broadcasts for Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, can also be picked up in the city).
Local radio is broadcast from transmitters on Churchdown Hill (Chosen Hill).
For regional television in Gloucester is covered by BBC West Midlands & BBC West on BBC One and ITV Central & ITV West Country on ITV. Television signals are received from either Ridge Hill or Mendip TV transmitters.
A number of TV and film productions have been filmed in Gloucester; most notably at the cathedral and docks. These include three of the
Twin towns – sister cities
Gloucester is twinned with:[87]
Gloucester was also twinned with Gouda in the Netherlands, however this twinning ended in 2015.[88]
Notable people
Notable residents of Gloucester have included:
- Æthelflæd (c.870–918), Lady of the Mercians[89]
- Yasmin Bannerman (b. 1972), actress[90]
- Richard Barrington (b.1990), rugby player
- Piers Bizony (b. 1959), science historian and journalist
- Capel Bond (1730–1790), organist and composer[91]
- Hubert Cecil Booth (1871–1955), inventor of the vacuum cleaner[92]
- Samuel Bowly (1802–1884), slavery abolitionist[93]
- Herbert Brewer (1865–1928), organist and composer [94]
- Bridget Christie (b. 1972), comedian[95]
- Sir Alastair Cook (b. 1984), cricketer[96]
- George Worrall Counsel (1758–1843), solicitor and antiquarian[97]
- Alex Cuthbert (b. 1990), Welsh international, British & Irish Lions rugby player
- Samuel Daukes (1811–1880), architect[98]
- Dynamite MC (b. 1973), musician
- William Eassie (1805–1861), prefabricated building pioneer[99]
- Janet Evra (b. 1988), jazz musician[100]
- Marcel Garvey (b. 1983), rugby player[101]
- Tom Goddard (1900–1966), cricketer[102]
- Lynval Golding (b.1951), musician[103]
- Edmond Graile, (born about 1577; fl. 1611), English poet.[104]
- Phil Greening (b. 1975), rugby player[105]
- Paul Groves (b. 1947), poet[106]
- Ivor Gurney (1890–1937), composer and poet[107]
- Button Gwinnett (1735 – 19 May 1777), second signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence[108]
- William Hayes (1708–1777), composer[109]
- Andy Hazell (b. 1978), rugby player[110]
- William Ernest Henley (1849–1903), poet, critic and editor.[111]
- John Hooper (1495–1555), bishop[112]
- Tom Kerridge (b. 1973), chef and media personality
- Leopold Kohr (1909–1994), philosopher and economist [113]
- David Lawrence (b. 1964), former England cricketer.
- Naomi Layzell (b. 2004), footballer for Bristol City
- Mary-Jess Leaverland (b. 1990), singer
- Jamie McDonald (b. 1986), adventurer and author
- Thomas Machen (c. 1541–1614), mayor of Gloucester three times and Member of Parliament (MP) once
- Edward Massey (1619–1674), soldier, governor and MP
- Tina May (b. 1961), jazz vocalist
- Osric, king of the Hwicce(7th century)
- Simon Pegg (b. 1970), actor, comedian and writer
- Sir John Powell (1645–1713), lawyer and MP
- St Mary de Crypt
- Anglican layman, noted for his promotion of Sunday schools
- pound notesin 1797
- Scott Redding (b. 1993), motorcyclist
- Tyler Roberts (b. 1999), football player
- American national anthem
- Charlie Stayt (b. 1962), journalist and presenter
- Nathan Sykes (b. 1993), former member of British boyband the Wanted
- John Taylor (1578–1653), poet
- Mike Teague (b. 1960), former England rugby union footballer
- Josiah Tucker (1713–1799), dean, economist and political writer
- Abel Wantner (c. 1639-1714) Historian[114]
- Fred West (1941–1995) and Rose West (b. 1953) serial killers who tortured, raped and murdered at least 12 young women, while they lived in Gloucester.
- Charles Wheatstone (1802–1875), scientist and inventor
- Methodistmovement
- John Clarke Whitfield (1770–1836), organist and composer
- Chief Medical Officer for England[115]
- Charles Henry Wilton (1761–1832), violinist and composer
- Jemmy Wood (1756–1836), legendary miser and owner of the Gloucester Old Bank.
See also
- Bibliography of the City of Gloucester
- List of Gloucester MPs
- Gloucester Tramways Company
- Gloucester Corporation Tramways
References
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- ^ "The Economy in Gloucester". Gloucester City Council. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ "History of Gloucester". CORSE. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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Further reading
- Rudder, S. (1781) The History and Antiquities of Gloucester. Cirencester: Samuel Rudder. (free download)
External links
- Gloucester City Council Local government web site
- Gloucester at Curlie
- BBC archive film of Gloucester from 1980
- BBC archive film of Gloucester from 1987
- Gloucester City Council YouTube channel