A Tourist's Eye View |
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Of Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds |
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History
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Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds are situated in the heart of the English countryside, many of the towns and villages dating back to medieval times. Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds region of England can lay claim to many historic events and characters. Be it for being the birthplace of Dick Whittington, the home of the annual horse race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, or for the notorious serial killers Rose and Fred West. The City of Gloucester, county town of Gloucestershire, dates back to Roman times and, more recently, was the 1990 Winner of England for Excellence Award: Tourist Destination of the Year. The most imposing structure to grace the Gloucester skyline is that of Gloucester Cathedral, the foundation stone having been laid in AD1089. St Peter's Abbey (Gloucester Cathedral) predates this by over 400 years (AD679). King Edward 11 was buried here after being brutally murdered at Berkeley Castle in AD1327. Gloucestershire is also the home to several members of the present British Royal family including Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Cheltenham (Gateway to the Cotswolds) is a regency period town retaining many of it's original architectural features and thousands of people flock here for the annual Cheltenham Festival. The Cotswold cities, towns and villages are set apart by their very appearance, being built traditionally of Cotswold stone, a yellowish stone particular to this region, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Bibury, Moreton-on-the-Marsh, Tetbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham to name but a few. |
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Gloucestershire has had many famous, and infamous, characters associated with it over the centuries, probably the most famous being Dick Whittington. |
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Dick Whittington (c1350) was born in Pauntley, Gloucestershire, son of William Whittington, Lord of Pauntley. He later became the most successful merchant in medieval England, even selling cloth and finery from around the known world to the English royalty and nobility of the time. He went on to become the mayor of London four times in 1397, 1398, 1407 and 1420. A descendent, Charles Henry Whittington was buried at Pauntley Church in 1961. |
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William Tyndale (1494-1536) born in Stinchcombe, near Dursley, Gloucestershire, translated the bible from Greek to English so that common people could read it. He was persecuted as a heretic until his death, he was burnt at the stake after fleeing to Belgium. |
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Edward Jenner (1749-1823) he is best remembered for his experiments with smallpox which helped eradicate this deadly disease from the world. The results of this live on and form a fundamental part of modern day medicine - immunology. He also successfully linked angina with hardening of the arteries. His home in Berkeley in the south of the county, near the medieval Berkeley Castle, is now a museum. |
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John Stafford Smith(1750-1836) was christened in Gloucester Cathedral and educated at the Cathedral School. He went on to compose several pieces of music including the music to "The Stars and Stripes". The Stars and Stripes flag still flies from Gloucester Cathedral to this day to commemorate this connection. |
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Edward Beard Budding born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, invented the lawn mower in 1830. What would we do on sunny summer Sunday afternoons without his contribution to our heritage.
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W.C. Grace (1848-1915) the greatest name in 19th century English cricket, scored the first triple century against Yorkshire at Cheltenham. |
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Gustav Holst (1874) composer of "The Planet Suite" was born in Cheltenham. His home has been turned into a museum displaying an assortment of his personal belongings, including his piano. |
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Captain Howard Blackburn made a single-handed Atlantic crossing in his 30-foot vessel "Great Western" from Gloucester, Massachusetts to Gloucester, England in 1899. The voyage took 61 days and, although not the first single handed crossing of the Atlantic, it was the first such crossing for a disabled person. |
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J.K. Rowling (1965- ) In more recent times Gloucestershire can lay claim to being the birthplace of J.K. Rowling, author of the much acclaimed Harry Potter books. She was born in the south of the county in 1965 and grew up in Tutshill, near Chepstow. Her first book was called "The Rabbit". The immensely successful Harry Potter books are being turned into films, some of the footage being shot on location at Gloucester Cathedral. |
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Fred and Rosemary West On a more sinister note, Gloucester can also lay claim to being home to the notorious serial killers, Fred and Rosemary West. It is believed that the pair brutally murdered in excess of 12 women and young girls between 1967 and 1990. They were arrested at their home in Gloucester in 1994. Fred hanged himself whilst in his remand cell awaiting trial on New Years Day 1995, leaving his wife Rosemary to take the full wrath of the law and the public ridicule for their dastardly acts. She was found guilty of her part in 10 of the murders in November 1995, including that of her step-daughter, Charmaine. She still languishes in prison at Her Majesty's pleasure. It is believed that Fred died before divulging the true enormity of his crimes. Their house was demolished and ground to dust, the land being turned into a garden as a memorial to their victims. The controversy continues as to how many more murders they were responsible for. |
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