Gloucestershire Guide

About Cirencester

Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, 93 miles west of London and it lies on the banks of the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. Cirencester, the Cotswolds’ largest town is also home to the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world founded in 1840. The town is twinned with Itzehoe in Germany and Saint Genis-Laval in France and it serves as a centre for surrounding villages, providing employment, amenities, shops, commerce, and education.

History

About Cricklade

Cricklade is a small town in north Wiltshire on the River Thames, situated midway between Swindon and Cirencester. Cricklade is the oldest Saxon town in Britain and is also the first town on the course of the River Thames. Cricklade is twinned with the town of Sucé-sur-Erdre in France.

History

• Cricklade was founded in the 9th century by the Anglo Saxons and its location was chosen for the fact that it is where the Roman road Ermin Street crosses the River Thames. Cricklade was also the home of a Saxon royal mint.

Facts

• Population – 4,227 (2011)
• Unitary Authority – Wiltshire Council
• Major Industries – Tourism, Crafts
• Post Town – SWINDON
• Postcode District – SN6
• Dialling Code – 01793
• Police – Wiltshire Police
• Fire – Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
• Ambulance – Great Western Ambulance Service

Discover Cricklade for yourself

• BBC News – Wiltshire
• British Towns – Cricklade
• Cotswolds Info – Cricklade
• Cricklade Museum
• Cricklade Town Council
• Swindon Cricklade Railway
• Visit Wiltshire
• Wildlife Extra – Blakehill Farm

About Fairford

Fairford is a prosperous market town in Gloucestershire. It is located in the Cotswolds on banks of the River Coln and it is famous for St Mary’s Church with the most complete set of medieval stained glass windows in the world.

RAF Fairford is located near the town and this brings many visitors. Each year, RAF Fairford hosts the world’s largest military air show, the Royal International Air Tattoo. The event brings a large boost to the economy of the town and surrounding areas.

History

• With Saxon origins, the first written evidence of Fairford comes from 850AD when the town was mentioned in the transferring of land to the Abbess of the Church of Gloucester. Like most other Cotswold towns, Fairford’s prosperity came from the medieval wool trade. The wealth of the town declined with the wool trade in the late medieval years but prosperity grew in the 18th century when much of the High Street was rebuilt to service the increasing stagecoach and wagons trade on the main coaching routes of which Fairford stood.
• In recent times, Fairford was associated with Concorde – it made its maiden flight at the RAF base which had the longest runway in Europe.   RAF Fairford was also the European landing site for the space shuttle programme.

Facts

• Population – 3,236 (2001)
• Local Authority – Cotswold District Council
• Major Industries – Defence (Royal Air Force Station – RAF Fairford)
• Post Town – FAIRFORD
• Postcode District – GL7
• Dialling Code – 01285
• Police – Gloucestershire Constabulary
• Fire – Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
• Ambulance – Great Western Ambulance Service

Discover Fairford for yourself

• BBC News – Gloucestershire
• British Towns- Fairford
• Cotswolds Info – Fairford
• Cotswolds Water Park
• Fairford.org
• Fairford History Society
• Fairford Town Council
• St Marys Church, Fairford
• Visit Gloucestershire

About Lechlade

Lechlade-on-Thames or Lechlade (once “Letchlade” which explains its pronunciation) is a small town in Gloucestershire about 11 miles east of Cirencester, 12 miles north of Swindon and about 20 miles west of Oxford. It is located at the southern edge of the Cotswolds and it is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach which joins the Thames near here. Lechlade is a popular venue for tourism and river-based activities and it is twinned with the town of La Chapelle-Des-Fougeretz in France.

History

• A borough and market town from the early 13th century, it later played a part in the Cotswold wool trade. Its chief function, however, was as a staging post for goods and passenger traffic as the village grew on the crossroads of olden roadways between Taunton and London. By the 17th century, the cheese was shipped down the river from Lechlade and when the Thames and Severn canal was opened, the inhabitants traded in coal. Late 19th century visitors found it attractive for fishing and boating.
• St Lawrence’s church, located in the market place is believed to date back to 1255.  There are fragments of the church’s history still found here with the font, a figure of St Agatha and the piscine still visible to today’s visitor.
• Lechlade now has a vibrant small town feel and the many tourists enjoy exploring the surrounding countryside. There are good mooring facilities in the town as the trading boats have been replaced by pleasure craft.

 Facts

• Population – 2,850 (2011)
• Local Authority – Cotswold District Council
• Major Industries – Tourism; Retail
• Post Town – FAIRFORD
• Postcode District – GL7
• Dialling Code – 01285
• Police – Gloucestershire Constabulary
• Fire – Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
• Ambulance – Great Western Ambulance Service

Discover Lechlade for yourself

• BBC – News – Gloucestershire
• British Towns – Lechlade
• Cotswolds Info – Lechlade
• Cotswolds Water Park
• Lechlade-on-Thames
• Lechlade Trout
• St Lawrence, Lechlade
• Visit Gloucestershire