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60-509: Spa Road in the City of Gloucester runs between the junction of Southgate Street and Llanthony Road in the north and Montpellier in the South. It is joined by Brunswick Road on its north side. It contains a number of listed buildings . 51°51′36″N 2°14′53″W  /  51.8599°N 2.2481°W  / 51.8599; -2.2481 This England road or road transport-related article

120-531: A flight test airfield. The Gloster Aircraft Company was first formed at Hucclecote, Gloucestershire in 1915, as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company. In 1926 the name of the company was abbreviated to Gloster Aircraft Company because customers outside of the United Kingdom found the original name too difficult to pronounce. In May 1934 the company was purchased by Hawker Aircraft but

180-716: A battle. After the Norman Conquest, William Rufus made Robert Fitzhamon the first baron or overlord of Gloucester. Fitzhamon had a military base at Cardiff Castle , and for the succeeding years the history of Gloucester was closely linked to that of Cardiff. During the Anarchy , Gloucester was a centre of support for the Empress Matilda , who was supported in her claim to the throne by her half-brother, Fitzhamon's grandson, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (also known as Robert of Gloucester). After this period of strife ended with

240-565: A civilian settlement grew around it. Probably the Roman Legion XX Valeria Victrix was based here until 66 and then Legio II Augusta as they prepared to invade Roman Wales between 66 and 74 AD, who stayed later until around 87. Gloucester became a Colonia in 97 as Colonia Nervia Glevensium , or Glevum , in the reign of Nerva . It is likely that Glevum became the provincial capital of Britannia Prima . Within about 15 years new privately constructed properties replaced

300-635: A client or sub-kingdom of Mercia . From about 780, the Hwicce was no longer feigning any pretence as a kingdom and became part of Mercia . Mercia, allied by matrimony and sharing a desire to counter the Danish onslaught as had conquered swathes of the wider island at large, submitted to Alfred the Great 's Kingdom of Wessex in about 877–883. A 20th-century writer intuitively adds that Roman stem Gleu- Glev- was, doubtless, pronounced without any final consonant. Claudia Castra

360-584: A larger mid-summer festival with other activities and competitions, but the event is now confined to the cheese-rolling and is held in May during the Spring Bank-holiday Monday. It is usually said to have originated as a pagan festival celebrating the arrival of summer, fertility, or both. The contest was the subject of the BBC One programme The Great Cheese Chase broadcast in 2018. The Witcombe Festival

420-469: A mint. In the early 10th century, the remains of Saint Oswald were brought to a small church here and shrine built there, a draw for pilgrims. The core street layout is thought to date to the reign of Æthelflæd in late Saxon times. In 1051, Edward the Confessor held court at Gloucester and was threatened there by an army led by Godwin, Earl of Wessex , but the incident resulted in a standoff rather than

480-659: A parish council. The name Brockworth is derived from the Saxon name Brocwurthin, combining "broc" for brook and "wurthin" for enclosure. Settlement is believed to have occurred around 600 AD, after the defeat of the Gloucester-based Romano British at the Battle of Dyrham in 577 AD. Older, Roman remains have been found locally but they indicate an estate rather than a village. Also, the Saxon-derived name suggests that

540-592: A town within a city. Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire , and is the 53rd largest settlement in the United Kingdom by population. In 2010, its population was 123,400;. It has the traditional lowest bridging point of the longest river in Great Britain, connecting it with Over . The 2011 census recorded that the city had a population of 121,921 and by 2016 its population was estimated to be 128,488. The city's urban area extends beyond its boundaries, with several outlying districts . The 2021 census gave

600-450: Is 200 yards (180 m) long, and with a slope of around 50 per cent (26.6 degrees). It is known in Britain and beyond for its annual cheese rolling contest . A large round cheese is rolled down the steep slope of the hill and chased by a group of "runners", who in fact spend most of their brief descent to the bottom of the hill falling and tumbling. Two hundred years ago this was part of

660-698: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . City of Gloucester Gloucester ( / ˈ ɡ l ɒ s t ər / GLOSS -tər ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England . Gloucester lies on the River Severn , between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west; it is sited 19 miles (31 km) from Monmouth , 33 miles (53 km) from Bristol , and 17 miles (27 km) east of

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720-454: Is mentioned in the 18th century as a possible Latin name related to the city. The first bridging point on a navigable, defensive barrier, great river and the foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by Æthelred of Mercia , favoured town growth; and before the Norman conquest of England , Gloucester was a borough governed by a portreeve , with a castle which was frequently a royal residence, and

780-607: Is reflected by the fact a large minority of basic words and available synonyms in Welsh have a Latin base. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Gloucester is shown as part of Wessex from the Battle of Deorham in 577. At some point afterwards, along with the rest of its shire excluding the Forest of Dean , Gloucester was part of the minor kingdom of the Hwicce . In 628, as a result of the Battle of Cirencester , that kingdom became

840-634: Is related to a Welsh word signifying 'valiant', rendering 'Gloucester' to mean 'fortress of the valiant'. Glevum was established around AD 48 at an important crossing of the River Severn and near to the Fosse Way , the early front line after the Roman invasion of Britain. Initially, a Roman fort was established at present-day Kingsholm. Twenty years later, a larger legionary fortress was built on slightly higher ground nearby, centred on present-day Gloucester Cross, and

900-596: The Gloster Aircraft Company produced the famous Hawker Hurricane fighter, and following the war it gained renewed fame for producing several notable aircraft, including Britain's first jet aircraft , which was test flown here. Brockworth is also the birthplace of actor, comedian and writer Simon Pegg . An electoral ward of the same name exists in Tewkesbury Borough . The population and area of this ward are identical to that shown above. Brockworth has

960-497: The Kingdom of Wessex , replaced the area's Romano-Celtic society and changed the city's name to Caerloyw ( IPA: [kaɨrˈlɔɨʊ, kairˈlɔiʊ] ), Gloucester's name in modern Welsh , while recognising the presence of the Roman fort. Caerloyw is a compound of caer , meaning 'fort, stronghold, castle', and loyw , a lenition of gloyw as it would have been pronounced by many speakers, meaning 'bright, shiny, glowy'. A variant of

1020-513: The Middle Ages , the main export was wool, which came from the Cotswolds and was processed in Gloucester; other exports included leather and iron (tools and weapons). Gloucester also had a large fishing industry at that time. In 1222, a massive fire destroyed part of Gloucester. One of the most significant periods in Gloucester's history began in 1378 when Richard II convened Parliament in

1080-660: The Restoration , the Commonwealth coat continued to be used by the city rather than the Tudor coat. The Commonwealth coat, along with the crest and supporters, was legally granted to the city by letters patent dated 16 April 1945. This was reconfirmed in 1974 following the local government changes of that year. There are two tiers of local government covering Gloucester, at district (city) and county level: Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council . The Quedgeley area of

1140-576: The Severn Estuary , allowing larger ships to reach the docks than would be possible on the tidal reaches of the river itself, which go well north of the city to Haw Bridge. The wharfs, warehouses and the docks themselves fell into disrepair until their renovation in the 1980s. They now form a public open space. Some warehouses now house the Gloucester Waterways Museum , others were converted into residential flats, shops and bars. Additionally,

1200-574: The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum is located in the Custom House. Gloucester is made up of a variety of neighbourhoods, some of which correspond to electoral divisions of the City Council. Brockworth Since the mid-20th century, Brockworth has been known locally for the annual rolling of Double Gloucester cheese down Cooper's Hill. During World War II the nearby village of Hucclecote at

1260-593: The border with Wales . Gloucester has a population of around 132,000, including suburban areas. It is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to the Severn Estuary . Gloucester was founded by the Romans and became an important city and colony in AD 97, under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis . It was granted its first charter in 1155 by Henry II . In 1216, Henry III , aged only nine years,

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1320-576: The Cathedral and the Norman St Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester in Southgate Street . Additionally, there is evidence of a Jewish community in Gloucester as early as 1158–1159; they lived around present-day East Gate Street and had a synagogue on the south side, near St Michael's church. Gloucester was probably the home of Rabbi Moses, who established an important Anglo-Jewish family. The Jews of

1380-466: The Gloster Aircraft Company closed down and its once famous runway fell victim of redistricting and it is now within the boundary of Hucclecote . The airfield has now been redeveloped as the modern Gloucester Business Park, with additional housing developments continuing to grow around it. Cooper's Hill ( grid reference SO892146 ) is a local landmark within the parish of Brockworth, which

1440-715: The Second World War, two petroleum storage depots were constructed in Gloucester. A Government Civil Storage depot with six 4,000-ton semi-buried tanks was constructed on the Berkeley Canal in 1941/42 by Shell-Mex and BP and connected to the pipeline that ran from the Mersey to the Avon. It was also connected to the Air Force Reserve Depot and a Shell Mex and BP facility for road and rail loading. Due to severe tank corrosion, it

1500-472: The abolished County Borough of Gloucester. The reforms also saw the city become subordinate to Gloucestershire County Council, losing the independence it had held since 1483. The parish of Quedgeley was subsequently transferred into Gloucester from Stroud District in 1991. Quedgeley retains its own parish council, unlike the rest of Gloucester, which is an unparished area . In 2017, Quedgeley Parish Council changed its name to Quedgeley Town Council, making it

1560-475: The area many years to revive; but after the mid-1950s, renewed housing growth, the development of motorways and redistricting eventually changed the entire look of Brockworth and what were once adjoining villages. In 1952 the Brockworth factory produced the two seat, delta-winged Gloster Javelin which was developed as an all weather fighter that could fly above 50,000 feet at almost the speed of sound. In 1962

1620-465: The ascent of her son Henry to the throne Henry II of England , Henry granted Robert possession of Cardiff Castle , and it later passed to William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester son of Robert. The story of the Anarchy is vividly told in a series of 19th-century paintings by William Burges at the Castle. Henry granted Gloucester its first charter in 1155, which gave the burgesses the same liberties as

1680-423: The citizens of London and Winchester . A second charter of Henry II gave them freedom of passage on the River Severn . The first charter was confirmed in 1194 by King Richard I . The privileges of the borough were greatly extended by the charter of King John (1200), which gave freedom from toll throughout the kingdom and from pleading outside the borough. In 1216, King Henry III , aged only ten years,

1740-450: The city is a civil parish with a town council, forming a third tier of local government; the remainder of the city is an unparished area . Gloucester was an ancient borough , being treated as a borough from Saxon times and being granted its first known borough charter by Henry II in 1155. In 1483 the town of Gloucester was given the right to appoint its own magistrates, making it a county corporate , administratively independent from

1800-582: The city. Parliaments were held there until 1406 under Henry IV of England . The Parliament Rooms at the Cathedral remain as testimony to this important time. Gloucester was incorporated by King Richard III in 1483, the town being made a county in itself. The City's charter was confirmed in 1489 and 1510, and other charters of incorporation were received by Gloucester from Queen Elizabeth I and King James I . Princess Mary visited Gloucester in September 1525 accompanied by her ladies and gentlewomen. She

1860-637: The civil storage site. It was transferred from the Air Ministry to the Ministry of Power in 1959, closed in the 1990s and disposed of in the later 2000s. Gloucester's most important citizens include Robert Raikes (founder of the Sunday School movement) who is still commemorated by the name of Robert Raikes' House in Southgate Street. Its most infamous citizen was Fred West . In July 2007 , Gloucester

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1920-540: The company built 1,000 Hawker Hurricanes in the first 12 months of World War II and it delivered the last of 2,750 Hurricanes in 1942. Production was then switched to building 3,330 Hawker Typhoons for the Royal Air Force . On 8 April 1941 the first test flight of the Gloster E28/39 with a single turbo-jet engine (invented by Sir Frank Whittle ) took off from the company's flight test airfield at Brockworth. This

1980-473: The company name was unchanged. From 1921 the company produced the following aircraft types: Sparrowhawk, Nighthawk, Nightjar, Grouse, Grebe, Gamecock, Gorcock, Guan, Gambit, Gnatsnapper, Gauntlet, Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane ; Hawker Typhoon ; Gloster Meteor and Gloster Javelin and its runway became famous for the first flight of Sir Frank Whittle 's turbo-jet aircraft. The Gloster Aircraft Company (known locally as GAC) drew upon an employment pool from

2040-450: The earlier barracks and public buildings, temples and bath houses were under construction in stone. Piped water began to be supplied. Drains and sewers were laid. On the site of the legionary principia an imposing central forum was laid out surrounded by colonnades and flanked on three sides by part-timbered ranges of shops. Closing off the south of the forum was the 100m x 40m Basilica . Many fine homes with mosaic floors were built in

2100-451: The fall of nearby Bristol encouraged the reinforcement of the existing town defences. The siege of Gloucester commenced in 1643 in which the besieged parliamentarians emerged victorious. The Royalist's plan of bombardment and tunnelling to the east gate failed due to the inadequacy of the Royalist artillery and the besieged sniping and conducting artillery fire on the Royalist encampment. By

2160-533: The first settlers were Saxons. The oldest surviving building in the village is the Grade I listed building St George's Church, which dates back to 1142. The present structure has elements from then until the nineteenth century. Adjacent to this is the Tudor manor house Brockworth Court , a Grade II* listed building , that was built between 1534 and 1539 for Richard Hart, the last prior of Llanthony Priory . Brockworth

2220-616: The lifting of the Siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces during the First English Civil War . Gloucester is one of the few cities in England with two coats of arms. The first consists of three chevrons surrounded by ten roundels. The chevrons come from the arms of the Clare family , who were earls of Gloucester from the 12th to the 14th centuries, while

2280-540: The mid-17th century, only the gatehouse and keep of Gloucester Castle remained, the latter of which was being used as a gaol until it was deemed unsuitable and demolished in the late 1780s. By 1791, the new gaol was completed leaving no trace of the former castle. In the 19th century, the city grew with new buildings including Wellington Parade and the Grade II listed Picton House (c. 1825). The 1896 Gloucester smallpox epidemic affected some 2000 residents. During

2340-485: The motto Fides Invicta Triumphat ("unconquered faith triumphs", in reference to the royalist siege withstood by the city in 1643). The second coat, termed the "Tudor coat", was granted in 1538. It features the roses of York and Lancaster, the boar's head of Richard III, a ceremonial sword and cap, and two horseshoes surrounded by nails, to represent Gloucester's historical association with ironworking. Although grants made by Commonwealth heralds were nullified after

2400-573: The nearby St Oswald's Priory, Gloucester founded in the 880s or 890s, Llanthony Secunda Priory, founded 1136 as a retreat for a community of Welsh monks (now near the western bypass), the Franciscan Greyfriars community founded in 1231 (near Eastgate Shopping Centre ), and the Dominican Blackfriars community founded in 1239 (Ladybellegate Street). It also has some very early churches including St Mary de Lode Church, Gloucester near

2460-538: The population of the Gloucester Urban Area as 169,061, absorbing areas such as Brockworth and Churchdown . The city is located on the eastern bank of the River Severn , sheltered by the Cotswolds to the east, while the Forest of Dean and the Malvern Hills rise to the west and north, respectively. Gloucester is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal which runs from Gloucester's docks to

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2520-503: The roundels come from the arms of the Bishop of Worcester , whose bishopric historically encompassed Gloucester. This coat is the older of the two, though it is usually termed the "Commonwealth coat", as it was not officially granted to the city until 1652, during the Commonwealth period. The crest and supporters (lions bearing broadswords and trowels) were also adopted at this time, along with

2580-529: The second stage, the blocks rested on deep timber foundation piles. Stone external towers were added; two parallel wide ditches were also cut in front of the new walls. Remains of the Roman city can still be seen: Withdrawal of all Roman forces and many societal leaders in about the year 410 may have allowed leading families of the Dobunni tribe to regain power within the now Roman-influenced, interconnected and intermixed Celtic Brythonic local people. This intermix

2640-562: The site of a Saxon and Norman castle), the Shire Hall (now headquarters of the County Council ) and the Whitefield memorial church. A park in the south of the city contains a spa, a chalybeate spring having been discovered in 1814. Economically, the city is dominated by the service industries and has strong financial, research, distribution and light industrial sectors. Historically, it

2700-477: The site of the siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces in the First English Civil War . A major attraction of the city is Gloucester Cathedral , which is the burial place of King Edward II and Walter de Lacy ; it features in scenes from the Harry Potter films. Other features of interest include the museum and school of art and science, the former county jail (on

2760-503: The surrounding area and it was responsible for much of the growth in the development of housing estates which was halted by the outbreak of World War II . During the war Brockworth and the surrounding area were bombed by the Luftwaffe in an attempt to halt the production of aircraft. As the pre-war biplane Gladiator was rapidly rendered obsolete by faster monoplanes the Brockworth factory was available to manufacture Hawker aircraft. In 1939

2820-522: The surrounding county of Gloucestershire . When the Diocese of Gloucester was founded in 1541, the town was given the right to call itself a city . The city was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 . When elected county councils were established in 1889, Gloucester was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it

2880-461: The term -cester/chester/caster instead of the Welsh caer was eventually adopted. The name Gloucester thus means roughly "bright fort". Mediaeval orthographies include Caer Glow , Gleawecastre and Gleucestre . This etymology was first suggested by the Austrian philologist, Alfred Holder, in 1896. An alternative etymology has been proposed, which argues that the first element of the place-name

2940-519: The time of Queen Mary in 1555. In 1580, Gloucester was awarded the status of a port by Queen Elizabeth I. The 16th and 17th centuries saw the foundation of two of Gloucester's grammar schools: the Crypt School in 1539 and Sir Thomas Rich's School in 1666. Both still flourish as grammar schools today, along with Ribston Hall and Denmark Road High School . During the English Civil War ,

3000-676: The town were falsely accused by the Dominican monks of murdering a child, Harold of Gloucester , in an attempt to establish a cult similar to that of William of Norwich , which failed entirely. Nevertheless, the accusations were recycled around the time of the Edict of Expulsion . In January 1275, Eleanor of Provence expelled Jews from all of the towns within her dower lands, and the Jews of Gloucester were ordered to move to Bristol but finding an especially difficult situation there, relocated to Hereford . In

3060-458: The town. At its height, Glevum may have had a population of as many as 10,000 people. The entire area around Glevum was intensely Romanised in the second and third centuries with a higher than normal distribution of villas. At the end of the third century or the start of the fourth, major changes were made to the city's second-century wall. It was replaced in two stages by a stronger and higher one of stone resting on massive reused stone blocks. In

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3120-612: Was crowned with a gilded iron ring in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral . During his reign, Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany his cousin was briefly imprisoned at Gloucester Castle as state prisoner from 1222 to 1223, and from 1237 to 1238, in addition to sometime during the reign of King John. Gloucester's significance in the Middle Ages is underlined by the fact that it had a number of monastic establishments, including St Peter's Abbey founded in 679 (later Gloucester Cathedral ),

3180-404: Was crowned with a gilded iron ring in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral. Gloucester's significance in the Middle Ages is underlined by the fact that it had a number of monastic establishments, including St Peter's Abbey, founded in 679 (later Gloucester Cathedral ); the nearby St Oswald's Priory , founded in the 880s or 890s; and Llanthony Secunda Priory , founded in 1136. The town is also

3240-562: Was demolished in 1971/2 and disposed of in 1976. The second depot was an Air Force Reserve Depot with four 4,000-ton semi-buried tanks constructed in 1941/42 by Shell, Shell-Mex and BP at the Monk Meadow Dock on the Canal. Originally, delivery was by road, rail and barge and pipeline. It was also connected to the docks and to the Shell Mex and BP installation for rail and road loading facilities and

3300-538: Was followed by the twin-engined Gloster Meteor , the only jet to be used by the Allied Forces during World War II. The speed of the Meteor enabled it to fly alongside V1 flying bombs, tip them off course, to crash before they could arrive at their London target. In 1945 the Meteor gained a world speed record of 606 mph (975 km/h) and it was eventually put into service by 12 nations. Following World War II it took

3360-455: Was hit badly by a flood that struck Gloucestershire and its surrounding areas. Hundreds of homes were flooded, but the event was most memorable because of its wider impact – about 40,000 people were without power for 24 hours, and the entire city (plus surrounding areas) was without piped water for 17 days. In 2009, Gloucester Day was revived as an annual day of celebration of Gloucester's history and culture. The day originally dates from

3420-407: Was made a county borough , independent from Gloucestershire County Council. Gloucester Guildhall at 23 Eastgate Street was built in 1892 and served as the city's administrative headquarters until 1986, when the council moved to North Warehouse at Gloucester Docks . On 1 April 1974, the modern district of Gloucester was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the same area as

3480-406: Was met by the Mayor, John Rawlins , at Quedgeley . Her father Henry VIII and his then Queen, Anne Boleyn , visited in July 1535. They used Gloucester as a base for hunting trips to Painswick , Coberley , and Miserden . They left Gloucester for Leonard Stanley , on their way to Berkeley Castle . Gloucester was the site of the execution by burning of John Hooper , Bishop of Gloucester, in

3540-487: Was prominent in the aerospace industry. In 1926, the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company at Brockworth changed its name to the Gloster Aircraft Company because international customers claimed that the name Gloucestershire was too difficult to spell. A sculpture in the city centre celebrates Gloucester's aviation history and its involvement in the jet engine . From the city's Roman name, Glevum , Anglo-Saxon migrants after 410, with their fledgling feudal structure,

3600-403: Was the third in a series of rural villages located along an old Roman road following a more-or-less straight line to the inland port city of Gloucester . Its original semi-remote location made it ideal for the location of an aircraft factory (now the Gloucester Business Park ) where aeroplanes could be built and tested without worries about noise. Also, land availability made the area ideal for

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