About Gloucester

The English city of Gloucester lies on the eastern bank of the River Severn, close to the Welsh border and nestled between the Cotswolds to the east, the Forest of Dean to the west and the Malvern Hills to the north.

Gloucester was founded by the Romans as 'Glevum', and its basic street layout dates back to late Saxon times. In the Middle Ages the main exports were wool, leather and iron, and the city also had a considerable fishing industry.

Economically Gloucester is now dominated by the service industries and has a long history in the aerospace industry. The city also has a strong financial and business sector, being home to the bank Cheltenham & Gloucester.

The city remains a port, which houses the UK's most inland RNLI lifeboat. Since being renovated in the 1980s, the wharfs, warehouses and docks have formed a public open space accommodating the National Waterways Museum, along with luxury residential apartments, shops and bars.

Building attractions include Gloucester Cathedral (which has been used for scenes in some of the Harry Potter films), many medieval and Tudor gabled and half timbered houses, numerous churches (Gloucester was the host of England's first Sunday school), and minor remains of monasteries and priories. A public path on Cromwell Street marks the site of the former residence of notorious killers Fred and Rose West.

Gloucester also hosts festivals and events at local, national and international level, a distinguished example being the Three Choirs Festival, one of Europe's oldest music festivals. Sports-wise the city is home of Gloucester RFC, one of the world's top rugby union clubs, while Bentham Domes boasts one of Europe's largest 5-a-side leagues.