Did You Know?

Walls Ice Cream factory is the biggest in all of Europe. Built in 1959, there was a major expansion in 1981 when Unilever consolidated all ice cream production in Gloucester with the closing down of its factory in Acton, London

The Crecy Window inside Gloucestershire Cathedral is the largest window made of stained-glass window in the UK. It measures in at 12m x 24m and commemorates the knights who fought at the battle of Crecy on the winning side.

Gloucestershire has three main landscape areas, a large part of the Cotswolds, the Royal Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale. The Cotswolds take up a large portion of the east and south of the county.

Two well-known Gloucestershire castles Sudeley Castle at Winchcombe and Berkeley Castle have royal connections. Sudley is associated with King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I visited Berkeley Castle. 

The Romans also loved visiting Gloucestershire, so much, so they stayed and left a heritage and many artefacts and buildings. The Corinium Museum in Cirencester documents Roman life.

The first lawnmower was invented by a man from Stroud – one of the early models can be seen today at the Museum in the Park at Stroud. The Romans were in Gloucestershire. There is a saying,

From poets to politicians and cricketers to composers, a whole host of famous people have been born in Gloucester. Two instantly recognisable names are British actor and filmmaker Simon Pegg, who grew up in Brockworth, and, J.K. Rowling, the renowned Harry Potter author.

Gloucestershire Cathedral was used in the “Harry Potter” films. The cloisters played the part of the Cloisters at Hogwarts School. The cathedral also hosted the coronation of King Henry III in 1216, who was just nine years old.

One of the oldest-established museums dedicated to social history. The collections have been drawn together through mainly gifts from Gloucestershire, and represent one of the most fascinating collections of such material.

Boasting one of the most fascinating histories of any school in the county, The King’s School dates back to 681 — before it was established by King Henry VIII in 1541 as a prestigious new Cathedral School.

The Docks – now the site of lots of restaurants and other leisure facilities – used to be the site of a busy port. Tall ships would leave the port via the Gloucester and Berkeley canal and head off the exotic parts to pick up grain and other goods.

The town is also 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.