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St. Michael's Gate, Gloucester - Photo:
David Stowell
CCL |
Gloucester began with Glevum,
a Roman fort which guarded the lowest Severn
crossing and the legions' routes into Wales; it
became one of the four coloniae of Roman Britain.
Anglo- Saxon Gleawcester was a royal burgh or
fortified town in Alfred the Great's time and had
its own mint. The Norman and Angevin kings often
made it their residence and it was here that
William the Conqueror decided on the Doomsday
survey.
The city has long been an inland port and has its
own harbour master. Archaeological excavation has
revealed the site of a complete Roman forum, which
must have covered about 2 acres. The site of the
basilica or administrative building has been
discovered as well as the flanking colonnades on
the east and south sides. Fragments of an
equestrian statue of an emperor have been
collected and identified and also the bronze
tassels of his saddle and the plinth of the
statue. The excavation has apparently confirmed
the hypothesis that there were two Roman
occupations. The principal finds are in the City
Museum. |
The city's main thoroughfares still follow the
Roman roads and meet at the Cross. In Eastgate
Street stands the Guildhall. Nearby in Brunswick
Street is a memorial to Robert Raikes, who founded
the Sunday school movement in St Catherine Street.
New Inn in Northgate Street was a timbered 15th
Century pilgrims' hostelry; the interior has been
modernized but it preserves its courtyard with
surrounding balconies. Another ancient inn, the
Raven Tavern in Hare Lane, has been saved from
demolition by private subscription. It was once
the home of the Hoares, who sailed in the
Mayflower to New England. At the bottom of
Westgate Street is an old l6th Century gabled
house built by Thomas Payne, a mayor of
Gloucester, and nearby are the 15th Century St.
Bartholomew's Almshouses.
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Also in Westgate Street is
a 16th Century timber-framed house reputed to
have sheltered Bishop John Hooper before he
was burnt at the stake in 1555 in the reign of
Mary Tudor. It now houses one of the best folk
museums in the country with comprehensive
collections of everything to do with early
trades, crafts and industry as well as
exhibits of historical interest. The medieval Church of St Mary de Crypt
in Southgate Street has been much restored. It has
a peal of eight bells cast by Rudhall, the famous
Gloucester bell founder. Inside the church is the
font where George Whitefield, the preacher, was
baptised. He was born in the city and attended the
St Mary de Crypt Grammar School next to the
church. |
Church of St. Mary de Crypt in Southgate
Street - Photo:
David Stowell
CCL |
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Gloucester Cathedral - Photo:
Nick Robinson
CCL |
The cathedral is still the chief glory of
Gloucester. Its Norman plan and structure were
preserved as the body of this magnificent church,
to which the work of later periods was added. It
therefore affords an illustration of architectural
development which can hardly be bettered any-
where in Europe. The Norman pillars of the
174ft-long nave up to the stone screen remain as
they were during the first building period of 1080
to 1100. The east window is the largest medieval
stained glass window in England. |
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