Gloucester tourist information

Originally known as 'Glevum', the city of Gloucester was established as a garrison by the Romans to guard the lowest crossing point of the River Severn.

After the Roman city was abandoned it was revitalised as an important Saxon royal burg or fortified town. The Norman kings often made Gloucester their residence and it was here that William the Conqueror decided to carry out the Doomsday survey. William also ordered the construction of a new abbey church at Gloucester's Benedictine monastery.

St Peter's Abbey became an important place of pilgrimage after the murdered King Edward II was buried here in 1327. A great phase of building work in the 14th century produced the earliest example of Perpendicular architecture in England.

In 1541, following the Dissolution of the Monastries, the abbey church was saved when King Henry VIII established it as a cathedral.

In the Middle Ages Gloucester became a signficant inland port. Iron ore was transported from the nearby Forest of Dean and the port was vital to the city's medieval wool trade. However, its importance was undermined by the rapid growth of nearby Bristol. To revive Gloucester's fortunes artifical docks, and the Sharpness and Gloucester Canal linking them to the mouth of the Severn, were opened in 1827.

No longer used for shipping the Victorian warehouses at Gloucester Dock mark Britain's most inland port. Today, the 15 buildings house award-winning museums, specialist shops, cafés, bars and restaurants and make a fascinating day out for all the family. Highlights include the National Waterways Museum, Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Antiques Centre and Merchants Quay Shopping Centre. Guided walks in the summer and boat trips from Easter to October.

Gloucester's main thoroughfares still follow the old Roman roads and meet at the Cross. The current street plan of the city is a direct legacy of the Saxon occupation.

The chief glory of Gloucester is its cathedral. The east window is the largest medieval stained glass window in the world. The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral were used as locations are familar to Harry Potter fans as parts of the films were shot here.

Two miles north of the city at Twigworth is 'Nature in Art'.  Housed in a fine Georgian mansion, this is the first museum in the world to be dedicated exclusively to artworks inspired by nature.

South of the city centre lies the 250 acre Robinswood Hill Country Park.

Crowds often gather south of Gloucester to watch the dramatic Severn Bore. This surge wave, up to 2m in height, regularly forms in the Severn Estuary and travels upstream in three or four unbroken waves.

Gloucester has a Tourist Information Centre