Gloucestershire ( ) is a
county in
South West England. The county comprises part of the
Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the
River Severn, and the entire
Forest of Dean.
The
county town is the
city of
Gloucester, and other principal towns include
Cheltenham,
Stroud,
Cirencester, and
Tewkesbury.
When considered as a
ceremonial county, Gloucestershire borders the
preserved county of
Gwent in
Wales (now
Monmouthshire), and in England the ceremonial counties of
Herefordshire,
Worcestershire,
Warwickshire,
Oxfordshire,
Wiltshire,
Somerset and
Bristol. As an
administrative county, it excludes the area covered by the
South Gloucestershire unitary authority.
According to a 2002 campaign by the charity
Plantlife, the
county flower of Gloucestershire is the
Wild Daffodil.
History
Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century, though the areas of
Winchcombe and the
Forest of Dean were not added until the late 11th century. Gloucestershire originally included the "small town" of Bristol.
The "local" rural community moved to the port city, (as Bristol was to become) and Bristol's population growth accelerated during the industrial revolution. Bristol became part of the administrative
County of Avon in 1974.
Upon the abolition of Avon in 1996, the region north of Bristol became a
unitary authority area of
South Gloucestershire and is now part of the
ceremonial county of Gloucestershire.
The official former postal county abbreviation was "Glos.", rather than the frequently used but erroneous "Gloucs." or "Glouc.".
In
July 2007, Gloucestershire had the worst flooding in recorded British history, with tens of thousands of residents affected. The
RAF conducted the largest peace time domestic operation in its history to rescue over 120 residents from flood affected areas. The damage has been estimated at over 2 billion pounds.
The county is recovering rapidly from the disaster, investing in attracting tourists to visit the many sites and diverse range of shops in the area.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Gloucestershire at current basic prices (pp. 240–253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Education
Secondary Schools
See
List of schools in Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire has mainly comprehensive schools with seven selective schools; two are in Stroud (Stroud High School and Marling School), one in Cheltenham and four in Gloucester. There are 41 state secondary schools, not including
sixth form colleges, and 12 independent schools, including the renowned
Cheltenham Ladies' College. All but about two schools in each district have a sixth form, but the Forest of Dean only has two schools with sixth forms. All schools in South Gloucestershire have sixth forms.
Higher and Further Education
Gloucestershire has one university, the
University of Gloucestershire and four higher and further education colleges,
Gloucestershire College,
Cirencester College,
Stroud College and
The Royal Forest of Dean College. Each has campuses at multiple locations throughout the county.
Towns and villages
Antiquities and other places of interest
The cathedral of
Gloucester, the magnificent
abbey church of
Tewkesbury, and the church of
Cirencester with its great
Perpendicular porch, are described under their separate headings. Of the abbey of
Hailes near
Winchcombe, founded by
Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 1246, little more than the foundations are left, but these have been excavated with great care, and interesting fragments have been brought to light.
Most of the old
market towns have fine
parish churches. At
Deerhurst near Tewkesbury, and
Bishop's Cleeve near
Cheltenham, there are churches of special interest on account of the pre-Norman work they retain. The
Perpendicular church at
Lechlade is unusually perfect; and that at
Fairford was built (c. 1500), according to tradition, to contain the remarkable series of
stained-glass windows which are said to have been brought from the
Netherlands. These are, however, adjudged to be of English workmanship, and are one of the finest series in the country.
Calcot Barn is an interesting relic of the
abbey of
Kingswood.
Thornbury Castle is a fine
Tudor ruin, the pretensions of which evoked the jealousy of
Cardinal Wolsey against its builder,
Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham, who was
beheaded in 1521. Near Cheltenham is the fine 15th-century mansion of
Southam de la Bere, of timber and stone. Memorials of the de la Bere family appear in the church at Cleeve. The mansion contains a tiled floor from
Hailes Abbey. At Great Badminton is the mansion and vast domain of the Beauforts (formerly of the Botelers and others), on the south-eastern boundary of the county. At
Owlpen is one of the most picturesque Tudor manor houses set in a densely-wooded valley.
There are several
royal residences in Gloucestershire, including
Highgrove House,
Gatcombe Park, and (formerly)
Nether Lypiatt Manor.
An annual "
cheese-rolling" event takes place at Cooper's Hill, near
Brockworth and the
Cotswold Games occurred within the county.
Gloucestershire in popular culture
- Louise Lawrence's apocalyptic novel Children of the Dust begins in Gloucestershire, and the following chapters are presumably set near the destroyed city.
- The film Hot Fuzz (2007) is set in Gloucestershire, in a fictional town called Sandford. It was actually filmed in Wells, Somerset.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, attended Wyedean School, on the Welsh border near Chepstow. Many of the teachers described in the books are said to be based on her experiences at the school.
- Johnny Coppin, the folk musician/composer lives in the county, and various places within Gloucestershire are referenced in his work.
- John Moore's novel Portrait of Elmbury is set in Tewkesbury. The sequels Brensham village and The blue field are also set in the area as are most of his other novels.
Notable People From Gloucestershire
- Banksy, graffiti artist. (Unconfirmed)
- Winifred Foley, was an English writer, best known for her autobiographical A Child in the Forest.
- Joe Meek, Visionary, eccentric 1960's pop record producer and pioneer. Born in Newent, on the northernmost portion of Forest Of Dean.
- Fred West, one of Britain's most notorious serial killers.
- P J Crook, artist. born and lives near Cheltenham.
- Dennis Potter, English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective
Publications
Gloucestershire's daily newspapers The Gloucester Citizen and The Gloucestershire Echo, along with free weeklies The Forester, The Gloucester News and The Cheltenham News are all published by
Northcliffe Media.
The
Stroud News & Journal is a weekly paid-for newspaper based in Stroud. It is published every Wednesday in a tabloid format by
NewsquestSee also
