48 Hours in the English City of Gloucester

Gloucester just isn’t on the map.

Most visitors to this part of England, not far from the border with Wales, instead spend their time in the Cotswolds. They miss out on old pubs, historic buildings and notable churches that line the city’s streets.

With a population of 121,688 as of the last census, it’s not as if this cathedral city and county town or county seat, as Americans would say, of Gloucestershire is small. At the same time, it’s not big either. Considering its history dating back to the Romans and through the formation of the Methodist denomination you could say that Gloucester punches above its weight.

At least that was my impression after spending 48 hours here.

The big draw is Gloucester Cathedral or, as it’s formally known, the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity. Talk about a splendid name.

While somewhat overlooked in a country full of historic churches and cathedrals, it’s become a popular setting for movies and TV shows. You might even recognize the 14th century cloisters, which feature the earliest example of fan vaulting, from the “Harry Potter” films.

Gloucester Cathedral is old, but it only became a cathedral at the English Reformation, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and the former abbey became the seat of the first bishop of Gloucester.

In terms of the present building, it dates to the Normans in the late 11th century,…