Go Back
Interior of Gloucester Cathedral: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gloucester_cathedral_interior_003.JPGAuthor: Mattana
Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire in Southwest England. Located on the River Severn close to the Welsh border, it has a population of 118,000 people (2012 estimate).
Gloucester dates back to its founding by the Romans in AD 97. At that time, it was known as Colonia Nervia Glevensium. Ancient Britons may have lived in the area after the departure of the Romans, until it was taken over by the Anglo Saxons, who gave it the name Glowancestre in 1282. Being near Wales, it is also known by the Welsh name of Caerloyw.
In the Middle Ages, Gloucester was the center for the wool industry. It also produces leather goods, iron tools and weapons. It received port status from Queen Elizabeth I in 1580.
Gloucester has many medieval and Tudor period gabled and half-timbered houses that are well preserved. The city has have numerous churches, many of which still standing today.
Bishop Hopper Memorial, with St Mary's Gate and Gloucester Cathedral in the background: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Gate,_Gloucester.jpgAuthor: Fæ
Visiting Gloucester
If going by car, take the M5 until Exit 11 or 11A and then continue west to Gloucester. You can also reach Gloucester by train from London, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham. Platform 1/3 in Gloucester is said to be the longest railway platform in Europe.Places of Interest in Gloucester
- Bishop Hopper Memorial: Monument to Bishop John Hopper who was martyred under Queen Mary I in 1555.
- Gloucester Cathedral: Cathedral dating to AD 681, when it was established as an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter. Its cloisters appeared in the corridor scenes of several Harry Potter movies.
Gloucester is 
on the Map of cities in England
Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips
Map of Ceremonial Counties of England
About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.