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Gloucestershire county

Introduction

Equerry have provided property search services in Gloucestershire since 2000.

Situated on the northern edge of the UK’s south west region, Gloucestershire covers an area of 1,025 square miles and has a population of approximately 570,000. 

Geographically it is split into three areas: the Seven Vale, the Royal Forest of Dean (one of Britain's ancient hunting forests with over 100 square kilometres of woodland still standing) and, best known of all, the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds cover a band of limestone hills running down the middle of the county, and are internationally renowned for picturesque villages with mellow stone cottages nestling in the valleys, such as Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-the-Marsh and Chipping Campden. 

Essentially a rural county with countryside accounting for 90% of its total, Gloucestershire also has several major towns.  Gloucester is the county’s capital, famous for its Norman cathedral and fine rugby team; whilst nearby is Cheltenham, renowned for its Regency architecture, race course and, in particular, the Spring Racing Festival.  Other familiar names are Tewkesbury, Stroud, the Roman town of Cirencester, Coleford and Minchinhampton.   

Gloucestershire has more than its fair share of historic buildings and both the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne have homes here.

Gloucestershire’s key road and rail transit routes

There are good road connections to the south west via the M5, to the north via the M5/M6 and M42, to Wales using the A40 and the M4 and to London and the south-east using the A40 and the M4. The Fosse Way runs through the county north to south whilst the Ermin Way crosses east to west from Cirencester to Ross.

Travelling by car from Gloucester to London takes approximately 2 hours 20 minutes; to Birmingham, 70 minutes; Bristol, 45 minutes.  Further approximate car journey times are as follows:

	London	Birmingham	Bristol
Tewkesbury	2 hrs 20 mins	45 mins	60 mins
Cheltenham	2 hrs 20 mins	60 mins	55 mins
Cirencester	60 mins	75 mins	60 mins

There are regular rail services through the county.

• London Paddington via Swindon, Kemble and Stroud to Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury (Ashchurch)
• London Paddington to Moreton in Marsh
• Gloucester to Cardiff
• Birmingham to Bristol via Cheltenham and Gloucester

Airport locations and routes

There is a local airport at Staverton, with flights to northern France and to the Channel Isles, between Cheltenham and Gloucester and to major airports just outside the county.  Also within easy reach are Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham airports.

Gloucestershire Schools

Gloucestershire has many excellent Independent and State Schools within its boundaries.  The better known of the latter are Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Westonbirt School, Wycliffe College and so on.  Equerry has contacts with many of these schools – and can, unofficially, help you with the kind of ‘local view’ that is not always portrayed in a prospectus! 

Some examples of ISCis-approved Gloucestershire Independent Schools follow:

• Cheltenham: Berkhampstead School, Cheltenham College, Dean Close School, St Edward’s School, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, The Richard Pate School.  Other schools include:
• Cirencester: Hatherop Castle Preparatory School, Rendcomb College.
• Gloucester: King’s School.
• Stonehouse: Wycliffe College.
• Stroud: Beaudesert Park, Cotswold Chine Home School.
• Tetbury: Westonbirt School.
• Tewkesbury: Abbey School.
• Wotton-under-Edge: Rose Hill School.

Where to stay and what to do in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire, and the Cotswolds in particular, offer a comprehensive range of three and four star hotels.  Ranging from the traditional style of Lower Slaughter Manor, popularly known as ‘The Queen of the Cotswolds’, the contemporary chic of Cowley Manor, or The Swan Hotel, an enchanting 17th century former coaching inn sitting on the banks of the River Coln there is indeed something for everybody. 

Other Glooucestershire Pubs and places to stay include:

• Queens Arms, Ashleworth, Gloucestershire GL19 4HT.  T. ((01452) 700395  ‘an immaculately kept low-beamed country dining pub.’
• Kings Head, Bledington, Gloucestershire OX7 6EQ.  T. (01608) 658365 ‘Friendly and rather smart 15th century inn overlooking the village green. Use as much free range, organic and local produce as possible’.
• Bell, Sapperton, Gloucestershire GL7 6LE.  T. (01285) 760298. ‘much emphasis in this bustling dining pub is on the imaginative food, but they have reintroduced a snack menu for the many walkers that come in, Good surrounding walks, and horses have their own tethering rail (and bucket of water).
• Eight Bells, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6JG  T. (01386) 840371. ‘a handsome old inn with heavy oak beams and massive timber supports, daily papers to read, and log fires in up to three restored stone fireplaces. Part of the floor has a glass inlet showing part of the passage from the church by which Roman Catholic priests could escape from the Roundheads.’
• Snooty Fox, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8DD.   T. (01666) 502436.  ‘a bustling unstuffy atmosphere in this centrally placed inn facing the ancient central covered market.’
• White Hart, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5LJ. T. (01242) 602359.  landlady and most of the staff are swedish a popular smorgasbord buffet for £14.95 in this interesting place (more café-bar than pub), There’s a good mix of all ages, and an enjoyably relaxed atmosphere’.
• Egypt Mill, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire GL6 0AE.   T. (01453) 833449. ‘Certainly unusual, a stylish conversion of a three-floor stone-built mill still with working waterwheels and the millstream flowing through. Ideal for summer evenings,
• Wheatsheaf, Northleach, Gloucestershire GL54 3EZ.  T. (01451) 860244 ‘a comfortable place to stay, this handsomely proportioned 16th-c stone-built inn is particularly popular on Monday or Tuesday, when all bottles of wine are half price with a meal.

By way of entertainment, Gloucestershire has plenty of variety to choose from – and more than sufficient for those hoping to send weekend visitors off for the day!  There is the frankly weird (May 29th 2006: Cheese Rolling at Coopers Hill) or the historic (Berkeley Castle, Gloucester Cathedral); the horticultural (Westonbirt Aboretum) or the adrenaline-filled (Cheltenham Racing Festival).