Cirencester

Cirencester, a market town in East Gloucestershire, England, is well known for its historic links to Roman Britain, as well as its outstanding views and beauty.

The Corinium Museum located within the town features an excellent collection of Roman artefacts and the surrounding areas of Cirencester house several Roman remains, including several Roman villas and a Roman amphitheatre, which has only been partially excavated. Also within the town is the Church of St. John the Baptist, renowned for its perpendicular porch and merchant’s tombs, as well as the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter’s and one of the oldest Baptist churches in Britain, dated at 1651.

To the west of the town is Cirencester House, the seat of Earl Bathurst and the site of one of the finest landscape gardens in England. Cirencester is tourist friendly, with great transport links and a range of accommodation choices.

Corinium Museum, Park Street, Cirencester GL7 2BX (01285) 655 611
Over one million historical objects are cared for by the Corinium Museum. Items range from the pre-historic period to the Iron Age and beyond.

One of the largest collections, however, hails from Roman times; and this is where the museum gets its name. Corinium was the Roman name for Cirencester; the second largest town in Roman Britain.