Gloucester is a county town and city in the South West of England, standing as the 53rd largest
city in the country. The city is a port that is connected from the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which runs from
the docks to the longest river in all of Britain, The Severn Estuary. Houses from the Medieval and Tudor time
period still remain in place from the foundations of Gloucester’s history.
Periodically, The Docks were built as a gateway for traffic travelling on water into the Midlands. In present day
the Gloucester Docks are home to restaurants, shops and award winning museums, most prominently The National
Waterways Museum which looks closely at the inland waterways of Britain, going back 200 years.
Another important museum is The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. Here, you can explore the complexities of two
lives from the nation’s finest regiments in relation to war and peace. Visitors can view antiques and collectables
at The Gloucester Antique Centre, consisting of five floors. You can also purchase rare and unique items at The
Merchants Quay Shopping Centre.
In the heart of the city you can see the Norman Cathedral which was made in 1100, originally a church, that has a
historical alliance with the monarchy. It is famous for its stained glass windows that are in fact one of the
largest found in England. The cathedral is beautiful in its interior and has been filmed in several Harry Potter
films. It also has a fountain and tranquil garden within the cloister.
For shopping in the city centre you can visit the Kings Walk Shopping Centre. Here you will come across many
popular retailers including Debenhams, HMV, WH Smith, River Island and Game, just to name a few. There are many
stylish restaurants if you are in the mood for dining out, such as Poppins Restaurant, Butlers Café and many
more.
Centrally based in Gloucester is King’s Square. It had its official opening in 1972 when extreme redevelopment of
the city was taking place and was structurally built to become the centre piece of the city. Today it is situated
next to Debenhams however quite a few features that were originally built as part of The Jellicoe Plan are damaged
and coming apart.
On Eastgate Street there is an indoor market that opened in the late sixties, alongside Eastgate Shopping Centre
which became operational in the mid seventies. For many years, the old market would take place at this location and
the old portico is still visible. Also from this view you can see The Beatrix Potter Tailor of the clock and there
is often a heap of people waiting for the animation to commence.
Gloucester has historical links to the aerospace industry and on the city’s suburbs there are many plantations such
as Smiths Aerospace Dowty Propellers and Messier Dowty’s Landing Gear. Gloucester’s aircraft company have many
international customers and had to change their name to Gloster Aircraft Company due to overseas difficulty with
the correct spelling of Gloucestershire. Visitors can visit a sculpture built in the name of the city’s history in
aviation and connections to the jet engine at The Whittle Pub at Gloucester Business Park.
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