Historic and picturesque South West England county with rich heritage sites, scenic landscapes, and vibrant cultural festivals.
Nympsfield Long Barrow
Nympsfield Long Barrow is a Neolithic burial site located near the village of Nympsfield in Gloucestershire, England. The outdoor archaeological site features a trapezoidal long barrow with multiple chambers and is managed as part of Coaley Peak Country Park. It offers visitors a glimpse into ancient burial practices, with excavations revealing human remains and artifacts dating back to around 2800 BC.
Kempley
Kempley is a historic village in Gloucestershire known for St Mary's Church with Britain's oldest roof and exceptional Romanesque frescoes, along with the Arts and Crafts style St Edward's Church, offering a combination of indoor heritage and scenic outdoor experiences.
Belas Knap
Belas Knap is a Neolithic chambered long barrow located on Cleeve Hill, Gloucestershire, featuring distinctive burial chambers and a false entrance. Visitors explore the historic outdoor site with significant archaeological value, offering scenic hilltop views.
Temple Church
Temple Church in Bristol is a historic ruined church originally built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century, later rebuilt and heavily damaged during World War II. The site features a leaning tower and outlines of the original circular church, and is now preserved as an open ruin managed by English Heritage, offering a unique outdoor historical experience.
Odda's Chapel
Odda's Chapel is an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon former chantry chapel in Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, known for its Romanesque architectural features and historical significance as part of a Benedictine priory. It is now managed by English Heritage and recognized as a Grade I listed building.
Blackfriars
Blackfriars in Gloucester is a historic Dominican friary dating from 1239, featuring well-preserved medieval architecture including a Grade I listed former church and the oldest purpose-built library in the UK. The venue hosts weddings, concerts, exhibitions, tours, and educational activities, offering visitors a unique combination of indoor historical exploration and outdoor cloisters.
Kennet Avenue
West Kennet Avenue is a prehistoric stone avenue in Wiltshire, England, featuring standing stones dating to around 2200 BC. Visitors can explore the outdoor ancient archaeological site, which is part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site and managed by the National Trust and English Heritage. The site is free to visit and offers a glimpse into Neolithic British history.
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Gloucestershire founded in the 13th century, notable for its historical pilgrimage significance due to a relic of the Holy Blood. Visitors can explore the abbey ruins and an on-site museum with artefacts, as well as a nearby historic medieval church with notable wall paintings.
Windmill Hill, Avebury
Windmill Hill is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure in Wiltshire, England, known as the largest of its type in Britain and part of the Avebury World Heritage Site, featuring ancient ditches and archaeological significance.
Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument
Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument is an 18th-century historic monument located on Lansdown Hill near Bath, commemorating the Royalist commander Sir Bevil Grenville, who was mortally wounded in the 1643 Battle of Lansdowne during the English Civil War. The outdoor monument stands 25 feet tall, featuring inscriptions and heraldic symbols, and is a protected Grade II* listed and scheduled ancient monument.
Great Witcombe Roman Villa
Great Witcombe Roman Villa offers visitors an exploration of the ruins of a Roman villa from the 1st to 5th century AD, including terraces on a hillside, a bath house with preserved mosaic floors, a latrine, a household shrine, and an octagonal reception room, providing insight into Roman Britain architecture and lifestyle.
Windmill Tump
Windmill Tump is a Neolithic burial site featuring a large stone tumulus and tombs containing ancient human and animal remains, located in Gloucestershire. Visitors can explore the outdoor historic site managed by Gloucestershire County Council.
Over Bridge
Over Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge designed by Thomas Telford crossing the West Channel of the River Severn near Gloucester, now a pedestrian-only route and scheduled monument.
Kingswood Abbey
Kingswood Abbey Gatehouse is the only surviving part of the historic Cistercian Kingswood Abbey in Gloucestershire, with origins dating back to 1139. Visitors can explore the medieval gatehouse, a Grade I listed building, located in the village of Kingswood and managed by English Heritage.
Goodrich Castle
Goodrich Castle is a prominent 11th century Norman medieval castle ruin in Herefordshire, England featuring well-preserved concentric defensive architecture, historic significance from the English Civil War, and scenic views over the River Wye. It is managed by English Heritage and open to the public as a historic site.
St Briavels Castle
St Briavels Castle is a Grade I listed Norman castle in Gloucestershire, England, known for its Edwardian gatehouse and historical role as a royal administrative centre and armaments manufactory. It later functioned as a debtors' prison before becoming a youth hostel, offering visitors a mix of indoor historic buildings and outdoor garden and moat areas.
Cirencester Amphitheatre
Cirencester Amphitheatre in Gloucestershire is the remains of a large Roman amphitheatre, notable as the second-largest in Roman Britain, with visible earthworks and evidence of tiered seating for thousands of spectators, and historical significance as a defensive site in the 5th century.
Located in Cirencester
Cirencester is a historic market town in Gloucestershire, England, known for its Roman heritage, medieval architecture, arts and crafts movement, and vibrant cultural scene within the scenic Cotswold Hills.
Notgrove Long Barrow
Notgrove Long Barrow is a prehistoric burial mound in Gloucestershire featuring a large mound with a central passage and several small chambers, historically used for human remains interment.
Greyfriars
Greyfriars in Gloucester is a historic medieval monastic site with the remains of a 16th-century friary church rebuilt in Perpendicular Gothic style, offering an outdoor experience of English heritage.
Rotherwas Chapel
Rotherwas Chapel is a historic family chapel with architectural features from medieval to Victorian times including a fine Elizabethan timber roof and Victorian furnishings, maintained by English Heritage near Hereford.
Uley Long Barrow
Uley Long Barrow, also known as Hetty Pegler's Tump, is a Neolithic burial mound in Gloucestershire featuring a transepted gallery grave with ancient stone chambers and archaeological significance.
Avebury
Avebury is a prehistoric Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire, England, featuring the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. The site includes multiple stone circles and is part of a larger prehistoric landscape with significant archaeological and cultural value. Managed by the National Trust, Avebury is also recognized as a World Heritage Site and holds contemporary religious importance for Pagan communities.