Cirencester

Cirencester News

Uncover The Past At Two-Month Corinium Museum Show
9th May 2008

Leaving no stone unturned in Cirencester’s archaeological past is the theme behind a two month exhibition which will open at the Corinium Museum in August.

The ‘Digging the Dirt’ exhibition will tell the tale of the town’s past as it celebrates the archaeological exploration which took place across Cirencester in the latter half of the 20th century.

The event – which starts on August 9th and continues until September 21st – is being held to celebrate 50 years of the Cirencester Excavation Committee, a group which was formed in 1958 to conduct archaeological digs in the town.

It was through the work of the CEC that the famous Hare mosaic was uncovered at the Beeches in 1971, and the exhibition itself will feature objects and archives from the excavations, as well as townspeople’s memories of the digs and the roles they played in them.

There will be old photographs on show for visitors and the chance to trade tales from the time, while you will also be able to learn more about the Corinium Museum and the role of archaeologists in the 21st Century.

The Corinium Museum’s Archaeological Officer Dr Alison Brookes said: “This exhibition will not only showcase the objects discovered during the excavations, it will also feature the individuals who were involved. I am keen to hear from as many people as possible who remember the summer digs taking place during the 1960s and 1970s. If you would like to share your stories please drop into the museum on July 12th and help us record this important part of the town’s heritage.”

In conjunction with the Digging the Dirt exhibition, the Corinium museum will be hosting a series of events over the summer to celebrate the rich archaeological heritage of Cirencester.

These will start on July 12th with ‘Archaeological Reminiscences of Cirencester’ (11am-3pm), drop into the museum and record your memories of the digs in the town with Museum staff. Did you take part in the numerous archaeological digs in the town? Can you spot yourself in a photograph? If you were involved in the excavations, as an archaeologist, volunteer or remember just passing by, we’d love to hear from you to document your memories and photographs. A special admission rate of £1 applies on the day.

Following this is a family workshop ‘What is Museum Archaeology?’ which is being hosted on July 20th and serves as an introduction to museum archaeology in a fun, hands-on way. Booking is essential, normal admission charges apply.

Please contact the Corinium Museum on 01285 655611 for further details of any of the summer events, or email the venue on museums@cotswold.go.uk

Views Sought On Cirencester Conservation Areas
6th March 2008

The public will have their say this spring as Cotswold District Council proposes to redraw the boundaries of Cirencester’s four Conservation Areas.

Under guidelines from English Heritage, the Council’s conservation team will start a six-week consultation with residents this month, over the first changes to Cirencester’s Conservation Area boundaries since 1991.

A Character Appraisal and Management Plan (CAMP) has been prepared for each Conservation Area. These define the special architectural and historic interest of the area, and identify any potential threats to its special character. They also provide guidelines on the positive management of change.

The public are invited to submit their views and comments by April 25th. The documents will be available for viewing on www.cotswold.gov.uk from Monday March 17th and those wishing to comment are asked to use the form on the web site and submit it electronically or by post. The documents will also be available on CD from the Council Offices in Trinity Road.

Public presentations of the Conservation Area CAMPs will take place at 3pm and 7pm on Thursday March 27th at the Council Chamber in Trinity Road. All are welcome.

The comments will be analysed and a report placed on the website summarising the Council’s response to the public comments. The Council will then officially adopt Cirencester’s new conservation boundaries and the Conservation Area CAMPs

The four new areas of Cirencester proposed for a conservation rethink are:

• Cirencester: The Park Conservation Area
• Cirencester: The Gloucester Street and River Walk Conservation Area
• Cirencester Town Centre Conservation AreaCirencester South Conservation Area

The Cotswolds has the highest number of conservation areas in England (144) and the Council has a duty to review the boundaries and propose ways to preserve and enhance their special and distinctive qualities on a regular basis.

Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest and are the subject of national legislation designed to ensure their preservation and enhancement.

Anyone wishing to discuss the documents can contact Sandy Hamilton, at sandy.hamilton@cotswold.gov.uk or on telephone 01285 623000.

Shaping The Future Of Cirencester Town Centre
14th February 2008

A major project aimed at transforming Cirencester during the 21st Century has reached an important stage with the publication by Cotswold District Council of a draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the town centre.

The draft SPD, which embraces many aspects of the Vision for Cirencester, focuses on traffic and environment issues and will be fundamental in helping to shape the longer-term future of the town centre. Its proposals include:

• A review of parking, to provide more spaces in fewer car parks, with the redevelopment of some existing parking for other uses
• Prioritising pedestrians over traffic in the main shopping streets
• Transferring unnecessary through traffic onto the ring road
• Improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and to public transport, including better links within and to the town centre
• Improvements to road safety and the possible transfer of buses from the Market Place to improved facilities at South Way/The Forum
• Improving the appearance of the public realm, particularly Market Place, Cricklade Street, Black Jack Street and Dyer Street
• Rationalisation and improvement of signage, street furniture and paving

Forward Planning Manager Chris Vickery said: “Cirencester is a great town, but it’s easy to become complacent when you are surrounded by attractive buildings and a retail sector that is performing well.

“It is important to have proposals in place that will help take the town forward and address issues of concern, such as traffic management and parking, while enhancing the town’s competitive edge and maintaining its unique attractions.”

“The SPD will be an important tool in helping to deliver physical improvements. However, it must be appreciated that some of its proposals are long-term and dependent on other works being completed first, while others will be dependent on securing external funding.”

The Cirencester Town Centre SPD will be available on 22nd February for public comment until 4th April.

Details of how and when you can comment, along with copies of the documents, can viewed at Cotswold District Council and Cirencester Town Council offices, County libraries in Cotswold District, or by visiting our website at www.cotswold.gov.uk

Volunteers Wanted At Corinium Museum
21st November 2007

Cirencester's Corinium Museum is looking for volunteers to help out with its successful activities ideas and programmes for both children and families.

The activity sessions - usually run in the school holidays - are a fun way to learn about history and archaeology, usually involving simple craft activities. Recent subjects have included making medieval clay tiles, Anglo-Saxon shoes and finding out about medicine through time. The Museum also runs a branch of the Young Archaeologists Club.

Volunteers should be able to get on with children and a willingness to get their hands messy. No great historical knowledge is required and a member of the museum staff will always be in charge of the event.

Museum Education Officer Rachael Holtom said:
“It’s always great fun helping out with the holiday events, and it can be very rewarding as well.
“We would encourage anyone who has feels they can offer something to come along and give us a hand.”
Anyone interested should contact Rachael Holtom or Amanda Hart on 01285 655611.

Shopping

For a varied and rewarding shopping experience you are urged to give Cirencester a try.
While there are the usual and recognised High Street names, you will also find a number of smaller retailers and specialist shops dotted around this picturesque Cotswold town.

And when you are ready to give your feet (and credit card) a rest, there are plenty of places to stop off for a coffee or something to eat.

Cirencester History

Roman Corinium
When the Romans built a fort where the Fosse Way crossed the Churn, to hold two quingenary alae tasked with helping to defend the provincial frontier c. AD 49, native Dobunni were drawn from Bagendon, a settlement of the Dobunni situated 3 miles (5 km) to the north, to create a civil settlement near the fort. When the frontier moved to the north following the conquest of Wales, this fort was closed and its fortifications levelled c. 70, but the town persisted and flourished under the name Corinium Dobunnorum.

Even in Roman times, there was a thriving wool trade and industry, which contributed to the growth of Corinium. A large forum and basilica was built over the site of the fort, and archeological evidence shows signs of further civic growth. When a wall was erected around the Roman city in the late second century, it enclosed 240 acres (1 km²), making Corinium, in area, the second-largest city in Britain. It was made the seat of the province Britannia Prima in the fourth century, and some historians would date the pillar the governor L. Septimus erected to the god Jovian to this period, providing evidence of a sign of pagan reaction under the Roman Emperor Julian.

The amphitheatre still exists to the SW of Cirencester, but has not been fully excavated. Investigations in the town show that it was fortified in the fifth or sixth centuries. Possibly this was the palace of one of the British kings defeated by Ceawlin in 577. It was later the scene of a battle again, this time between the Mercian king Penda and the West Saxon kings Cynegils and Cwichelm in 628.

There are many Roman remains in the surrounding area, including several Roman villas near the villages of Chedworth and Withington.

Recent History
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.

Cirencester Attractions and Things To See

The parish church of St John the Baptist, often referred to as the Cathedral of the Cotswolds, has a nave built in 1515–1530, and also features a high embattled tower and a remarkable south porch with parvise. A fine example of the wool church, among its numerous chapels, that of St Catherine has a beautiful roof of fan-tracery of stone that dates to 1508. Other wool churches can be seen in neighbouring Northleach and Chipping Campden.

To the west of the town is Cirencester House, the seat of Earl Bathurst. The first Earl Bathurst (1684–1775) devoted himself to beautifying the fine demesne of Oakley Park, which he planted and adorned with remarkable artificial ruins. This nobleman, who became a baron in 1711 and an earl in 1772, was a patron of art and literature no less than a statesman, and Alexander Pope, a frequent visitor, was allowed to design the building known as Pope's Seat in the park, which commands a splendid view of woods and avenues. Jonathan Swift was another appreciative visitor. The house contains portraits by Lawrence, Gainsborough, Romney, Lely, Reynolds, Hoppner, Kneller and many others.

On Cotswold Avenue is the site of a Roman amphitheatre which, while buried, retains its shape in the earthen topography of the small park setting. Cirencester was one of the most substantial cities of Roman-era Britain.

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Getting to Cirencester

How to get to Cirencester by train
The nearest railway station can be found in the village of Kemble, approximately 4 miles from Cirencester.

How to get to Cirencester by car
Cirencester is within easy reach of both the M4 and M5 motorways.