Historic Locations

“more than 500 listed buildings”

Cathedral | Docks | Roman Remains | Priories, Firaries & Churches

There are Roman ruins, medieval cities, Tudor towns and remnants of Saxon settlements and Norman conquests all across England, but few places can boast the range of historic buildings and sites that Gloucester has to offer. Gloucester is quite rightly considered to be one of England’s top historic destinations with more than 500 listed buildings.

Gloucester Cathedral dominates the skyline of the city, with the tower visible from miles around. Ancient, spectacular and a beautifully serene place to visit, the cathedral is one of the most magnificent gothic buildings in the world. The Cathedral attracts many vistors be they history or architecture buffs or even Harry Potter fans (three of the films used the magnificent cloisters to double as the corridors of Hogwarts).

Gloucester Docks are a unique and inspring destination, described by Charles Dickens as “extraordinary”. It was Elizabeth I who granted the city port status, making Gloucester the most inland port in the country. Visitors can see skilled shipwrights and riggers repairing, restoring and building traditional ships and rigging all year round in Tommi Nielsen’s dry dock on the West Quay. The Gloucester Quays area is a favourite for visitors and locals alike, with a great mix of waterside museums, bars, cafes, restaurants, antiques centre and a shopping centre, all nestling comfortably alongside the docks’ maritime heritage.

Roman Remains

Gloucester owes its name, location and much of its layout to many centuries of Roman occupation. The first settlement was a military fortress at Kingsholm. Little visible evidence of the mighty Roman city ‘Glevum’ remains above ground today, but stretches of wall and numerous finds are displayed at the City Museum and Art Gallery in Brunswick Road, while the Eastgate Viewing Chamber in Eastgate Street offers a tantalising glimpse of the old fortified city wall and East Gate defensive tower.

Priories, Firaries and Churches

There’s an old saying, ‘as sure as God’s in Gloucester’, whose origins surely lie in the wealth of religious history and buildings in the city. Christianity was adopted in Britain in AD170 under King Lucius, who according to local legend built St Mary de Lode, Gloucester’s oldest church. To the rear of the church is the site where the martyred protestant Bishop John Hooper was burnt at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor.

St Oswald’s Priory dates back to the ninth century and housed the relics of the Nortumbrian king and saint. It was reduced to a parish church after Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, and was largely destroyed by Royalist cannonfire during the 1643 Siege of Gloucester in the English Civil War. The leaning spire of St Nicholas Church dominates the view down Westgate Street. St Nicholas is patron saint of sailors, and back in the 12th century the church was attached to a bridge that crossed the River Severn.

The 13th century Blackfriars Priory is the most complete collection of medieval Dominican buildings in England. Built under the patronage Henry III, the Priory boasts an array of monastic buildings built around a beautiful Cloistered courtyard. The Scriptorium was the setting for medieval monastic learning and has an original scissor brace timber roof and study booths, one of which was ‘defaced’ with graffiti 500 years ago!

Greyfriars Friary dates back to the 13th century and was built with timber from the Royal Forest of Dean granted by Henry III. The friary was largely destroyed during the English Civil War, and yet high-arched sections still remain today. St Mary de Crypt Church boasts an impressive and varied history. George Whitefield, the most famous religious figure of the 18th century, preached his first sermon here, before going on to spread the Gospel to more than ten million people worldwide.

Close to the docks stands Llanthony Secunda Priory. Henry III held court here, Edward II is thought to have been imprisoned here before being taken away and murdered at the nearby Berkeley Castle, and Royalist forces occupied the priory while besieging Gloucester during the English Civil War.