Cirencester Information
Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles (150 km) west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in Cotswold District. Cirencester is home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world founded in 1840. Cirencester's Corinium Museum is well-known for its extensive Roman collection.
Cirencester lies on the lower dip-slopes of the Cotswold Hills, an outcrop of oolitic limestone. Natural drainage is into the River Churn which flows roughly north to south through the eastern side of the town and joins the Thames near Cricklade a little to the south. The Thames itself rises just a few miles west of Cirencester. However, the source of the Thames has been moving in recent years as the river has been affected by below average rainfall.
The town is made up of five main areas: The town centre, the suburbs of Chesterton, Stratton, and Watermoor (originally villages outside the town) and the Beeches Estate (a 1950s housing development). The village of Siddington to the south-west of the town is now almost connected to Watermoor.
The town serves as a centre for the surrounding area, providing employment, amenities, shops, commerce, and education. The Cotswold Leisure Centre was re-built in 2006 on the site of the old cattle market.
Cirencester is the hub of a significant road network with important routes to Gloucester (A417), Cheltenham (A435), Warwick (A429), Oxford (A40 via the B4425), Wantage (A417), Swindon (A419), Chippenham (A429), Bristol and Bath (A433), and Stroud (A419).
These good transport links bring the town passing trade. Although the ring-road and by-pass take traffic away from the town centre, both roads have busy service areas with adequate parking. Access to the railway system is at Kemble railway station on the main line to London (Paddington), about four miles from the town. The nearest airports are at Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham, all more than an hour away by road.
At the end of the 18th Century Cirencester was a thriving market town, at the centre of a network of turnpike roads with easy access to markets for its produce of grain and wool. A local grammar school provided education for those who could afford it, and businesses thrived in the town, which was the major urban centre for the surrounding area.
In 1789 the opening of a branch of the Thames and Severn Canal provided access to markets further afield, by way of a link through the River Thames. In 1841 a branch railway line was opened to Kemble to provide a link to the Great Western Railway at Swindon. The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened a station at Watermoor in 1883. Cirencester thus was served by two railway lines until the 1960s.
The loss of canal and the direct rail link encouraged dependency on road transport. An inner ring road system was completed in 1975 in an attempt to reduce congestion in the town centre, which has since been augmented by an outer bypass with the expansion of the A417. Coaches depart from London Road for Victoria in central London and Heathrow Airport, taking advantage of the M4 Motorway. Kemble Station to the west of the town, distinguished by a sheltered garden, is served by fast trains from Paddington via Swindon.
In 1894 the passing of the Local Government Act brought at last into existence Cirencester's first independent elected body, the Urban District Council. The reorganization of the local governments in 1974 replaced the Urban District Council with the present two-tier system of Cotswold District Council and Cirencester Town Council. A concerted effort to reduce overhead wiring and roadside clutter has given the town some picturesque streetscenes. Many shops cater to tourists and many house family businesses.
Adapted from an article on WikiPedia
Cirencester lies on the lower dip-slopes of the Cotswold Hills, an outcrop of oolitic limestone. Natural drainage is into the River Churn which flows roughly north to south through the eastern side of the town and joins the Thames near Cricklade a little to the south. The Thames itself rises just a few miles west of Cirencester. However, the source of the Thames has been moving in recent years as the river has been affected by below average rainfall.
The town is made up of five main areas: The town centre, the suburbs of Chesterton, Stratton, and Watermoor (originally villages outside the town) and the Beeches Estate (a 1950s housing development). The village of Siddington to the south-west of the town is now almost connected to Watermoor.
The town serves as a centre for the surrounding area, providing employment, amenities, shops, commerce, and education. The Cotswold Leisure Centre was re-built in 2006 on the site of the old cattle market.
Cirencester is the hub of a significant road network with important routes to Gloucester (A417), Cheltenham (A435), Warwick (A429), Oxford (A40 via the B4425), Wantage (A417), Swindon (A419), Chippenham (A429), Bristol and Bath (A433), and Stroud (A419).
These good transport links bring the town passing trade. Although the ring-road and by-pass take traffic away from the town centre, both roads have busy service areas with adequate parking. Access to the railway system is at Kemble railway station on the main line to London (Paddington), about four miles from the town. The nearest airports are at Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham, all more than an hour away by road.
At the end of the 18th Century Cirencester was a thriving market town, at the centre of a network of turnpike roads with easy access to markets for its produce of grain and wool. A local grammar school provided education for those who could afford it, and businesses thrived in the town, which was the major urban centre for the surrounding area.
In 1789 the opening of a branch of the Thames and Severn Canal provided access to markets further afield, by way of a link through the River Thames. In 1841 a branch railway line was opened to Kemble to provide a link to the Great Western Railway at Swindon. The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened a station at Watermoor in 1883. Cirencester thus was served by two railway lines until the 1960s.
The loss of canal and the direct rail link encouraged dependency on road transport. An inner ring road system was completed in 1975 in an attempt to reduce congestion in the town centre, which has since been augmented by an outer bypass with the expansion of the A417. Coaches depart from London Road for Victoria in central London and Heathrow Airport, taking advantage of the M4 Motorway. Kemble Station to the west of the town, distinguished by a sheltered garden, is served by fast trains from Paddington via Swindon.
In 1894 the passing of the Local Government Act brought at last into existence Cirencester's first independent elected body, the Urban District Council. The reorganization of the local governments in 1974 replaced the Urban District Council with the present two-tier system of Cotswold District Council and Cirencester Town Council. A concerted effort to reduce overhead wiring and roadside clutter has given the town some picturesque streetscenes. Many shops cater to tourists and many house family businesses.
Adapted from an article on WikiPedia