Cirencester

Cirencester is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. It sits on the River Churn, a small river that flows into the Thames. The town is the largest in the beautiful Cotswolds area and is the eighth largest place to live in all of Gloucestershire.

Cirencester is special because it is home to the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world. This school began in 1840 and has helped many people learn about farming and nature.

Long ago, the Romans called the town Corinium, and it was important to the ancient British tribe known as the Dobunni. The town's Corinium Museum shows many interesting Roman items. The town has a population of about 20,000 people today and is close to other cities like Swindon, Gloucester, Oxford, and Bristol.

Etymology

The name of Cirencester first appears in old writings from around 150 AD, written by a writer named Ptolemy. The earliest surviving documents are from the thirteenth century and show different spellings, with the original thought to be Corinium. We do not know exactly where this name came from. The same name is linked to the River Churn, which flows through the town. Over time, the name changed. It was called Cirenceaster in old English records and means "fort" or "fortress." The Normans later changed the pronunciation slightly to what we use today: Cirencester. Some people locally shorten the name to Ciren.

History

Roman Corinium

Main article: Corinium Dobunnorum

Cirencester was an important town in Roman times, along with places like St Albans and Colchester. The Romans built a fort there where a major road crossed the River Churn. This fort held soldiers who helped protect the area. Later, the town grew and became known as Corinium.

There was a big wool trade in those days, which helped the town grow. Large public buildings like a forum and a basilica were built, and many Roman ruins can still be found nearby. When walls were built around the town, it became one of the larger cities in Roman Britain. Some think Corinium was even the capital of one of the Roman provinces.

Cirencester Amphitheatre still exists to the southwest of the town, though only part of it has been dug up. The town was fortified again in the 5th or 6th centuries.

Post-Roman and Saxon

See also: Battle of Deorham

Later, in the 7th century, Cirencester was the site of a battle between the king of Mercia and the kings of Wessex.

The minster church of Cirencester was founded in the 9th or 10th century and later became an Augustinian abbey.

Norman

At the Norman Conquest in 1066, the manor of Cirencester was given to a new ruler, but later returned to the Crown. An abbey was founded there in 1117, and after many years of building, the abbey church was completed in 1176. The abbots gained important rights and privileges over the years, but the townspeople kept trying to gain their own borough status.

Tudor

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the abbey buildings were torn down. Only a small part of the old abbey remains today. Cirencester became a place where members of Parliament could be elected in 1572.

The town was known for its wool trade, and many wealthy merchants lived there. Their fine houses still stand today.

Civil War

During the Civil War in 1643, fighting happened in Cirencester between two groups. Many people were killed and captured. After the war, a king stayed in Cirencester for one night as he was leaving the country.

Modern history

By the end of the 18th century, Cirencester was a busy market town. A school had been teaching students since 1461. Canals and railways were built to help transport goods, but later the town relied more on roads.

A local government system was set up in 1894, and later reorganised in 1974.

Archaeology

In 2022, workers found a very old Bronze Age spear during landscaping. Archaeologists also found pieces of old pots, stone tools, and animal bones from different times in history.

Geography

Cirencester is found on the lower slopes of the Cotswold Hills, made from a special kind of limestone called oolitic. Rainwater flows into the River Churn, which runs through the east side of the town and later joins the River Thames near Cricklade. The Thames River begins just a few miles west of Cirencester.

The town has five main parts: the town centre, the village of Stratton, the suburb of Chesterton, Watermoor, and The Beeches. The village of Siddington is close to Watermoor. Other smaller areas include Bowling Green and New Mills. Cirencester helps nearby villages by providing jobs, shops, and schools. Many people live there and travel to bigger places like Cheltenham, Gloucester, Swindon, and Stroud for work.

Sites of interest

The Church of St. John the Baptist is a very important building known for its beautiful old porch, special ceiling designs, and old tombs of merchants.

The town also has a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St Peter; its foundation stone was laid on 20 June 1895. Coxwell Street, north of Market Square, was the original home of the Baptist Church founded in 1651, one of the oldest Baptist churches in England; the church moved in January 2017 to a new building on Chesterton Lane. The town's Salvation Army hall in Thomas Street is in a building that was once a Temperance Hall built by a Quaker named Christopher Bowly in 1846; it is the oldest such hall in the West of England. The Salvation Army first met in Cirencester in 1881.

To the west of the town is Cirencester Park, home to Earl Bathurst and one of the finest garden designs in England; it was created by Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst after 1714.

Abbey House was built where an old monastery once stood. The site was given to Richard Master, a doctor to Elizabeth I, in 1564. The house was rebuilt many times by the Master family, who still own the land. It was torn down in 1964.

On Cotswold Avenue, you can find the shape of an old Roman amphitheatre hidden in the park's landscape. Cirencester was one of the biggest cities in Roman Britain.

The Corn Hall was finished in 1863.

Governance

Before 1974, the town was managed by Cirencester Urban District Council. This council started in the Church of St. John the Baptist and later moved to offices on Castle Street and then Gosditch Street. In 1974, local government changed, and the new Cotswold District Council and Cirencester Town Council took over.

In May 2013, the Liberal Democrats won all eight seats for Cirencester on the Cotswold District Council. In 2011, Joe Harris, who was only 18, was elected to the district council and became the youngest councillor in the country. He also won a seat on the county council in 2013.

Transport

Roads

Cirencester is a central point for roads that lead to many places. You can travel to Gloucester, Cheltenham, Warwick, Oxford, Wantage, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath, and Stroud from here. The roads also connect Cirencester to big motorways like the M5 and the M4.

Buses

Several bus companies serve Cirencester. Stagecoach West runs a circular route that goes around the town and to Stratton. Another company, Cotswold Green, has buses going between Cirencester and Stroud.

Railway

Cirencester does not have its own train station anymore. The closest station is at Kemble, about 3.7 miles away. Trains from there go to London Paddington and Gloucester. People in Cirencester are working to bring train service back to the town.

Air

The biggest airport nearby is Bristol. There is also a smaller airport called Cotswold Airport for private planes, located about 5 miles southwest of Cirencester near Kemble.

Education

Cirencester has several primary schools and two secondary schools: Cirencester Deer Park School and Cirencester Kingshill School. There is also an independent school called Rendcomb College for children aged 3 to 18. In the past, the town had a very old grammar school that joined with another school in 1966 to become Cirencester Deer Park School. In 1991, Cirencester College was created, and it is next to Deer Park School.

The Royal Agricultural University has a campus between Stroud and Tetbury Roads.

Culture

Cirencester has many places where people can watch plays and music, such as the Sundial Theatre at Cirencester College, Bingham Hall, and the Barn Theatre. These venues host shows by local groups and professional performers.

The town is also home to several music and dance groups, including TinkCo, the Cirencester Philharmonia Orchestra, Cirencester Band, Cirencester Male Voice Choir, and the Cirencester Creative Dance Academy.

Media

People in Cirencester get their news and TV programs from BBC West and ITV West. Local radio stations include BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Heart West, and Corinium Radio, an online community station. The town’s newspaper is The Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard.

Sport

Cirencester Town F.C. plays in the Southern League Premier Division. The team, called The Centurions, moved in 2002 to a new stadium called Corinium Stadium. The club has many football pitches and an indoor training area used all year.

Cirencester has two athletics clubs and a netball club with teams in different leagues. There is also a rugby club with many teams for different ages.

Cirencester Park Polo Club, started in 1896, is the oldest polo club in the UK. It is located in Earl Bathurst’s Cirencester Park and has been used by The Prince of Wales and his sons The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex.

Cirencester held its first half marathon in November 2025 and its first 10K run in February 2026.

Twin towns

Cirencester has friendly connections with three places in other countries. It is twinned with the town of Itzehoe, Germany; the commune of Saint-Genis-Laval, a suburb of Lyon, France; and the city of Bathurst, Australia. These twin towns show friendship and cultural exchange between the people of these places.

Notable people

Cirencester has been home to many interesting people. Some of them are Pam Ayres, a poet and actor, and Elizabeth Brown, an astronomer. Others include Willie Carson, a retired jockey and television commentator, and Rev. Dr. John Clinch, who was the first person to practice vaccination in North America. The town has also seen actors like Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper, and composers such as Peter Maxwell Davies and John Woolrich.

Listed building

Main article: Listed buildings in Cirencester

Cirencester has many special buildings that are important to its history. These buildings are called listed buildings, which means they are protected and cannot be changed or removed without special permission.