Things to Do in Cirencester (Gloucestershire, England) in 2024!

Cirencester is known as the Capital of the Cotswolds for some people, but in Roman times the town had a much higher status. At that time Corinium Dobunnorum was the second-largest town in the whole country after Londinium, with a large forum and basilica and an amphitheatre that could occupy 8,000 seats at a time. This story is told at the Corinium Museum, while modern Cirencester is a charming townscape of radiant Cotswold stone. The Vertical church of St John is the Baptist crowns Cirencester’s profile. You can also mix sightseeing with shopping at the New Brewery Arts studios, comfortable little lanes and the famous weekly antiques market at the Corn Hall. Below are the best things to do in Cirencester.

Best things to do in Cirencester

Let us explore the best things to do in Cirencester:

1. Corinium Museum
2. Church Of St John The Baptist
3. Market Place
4. Cirencester Park
5. Cirencester Amphitheatre
6. New Brewery Arts
7. Cerney House Gardens
8. Abbey Grounds
9. Chedworth Roman Villa
10. Rodmarton Manor

1. Corinium Museum

A mine of interesting handicrafts from Cirencester’s deep history, the Corinium Museum deserves as much time as you can afford. You will see one of the largest collections of Romano-British handicrafts in the UK, and what’s incredible is that they all come from the ground underneath your feet. You will be able to find mosaics, coins, pieces of architecture, statues, steles and ceramics, and while Roman artefacts are the focus, there is plenty more from other eras. This is one of the best things to do in Cirencester if you are a history lover.

Also read: London’s Best Museums: Museums in London, England

2. Church of St John the Baptist

Gloucestershire’s largest parish church requires your attention on the Market Place in Cirencester. The building dates back to the end of the 12th century. You can also identify the earliest stonework in the chancel. Over the first decades of the 16th century, the church was extended in sumptuous style with the help of donations from rich wool traders. These men and their families are remembered with glorious monuments inside. Do not forget to add this in your list of top things to do in Cirencester.

3. Sights Around Town

Cirencester’s town centre assures a walking tour, not least because of the tone of its beautiful Cotswold stone. Sheep Street, Castle Street, Park Street and Market Place are all a pleasure. In the Market Place, you can find the splendid Corn Hall (1862) which has become a fashionable shopping mall. You should also look for the timber-framed Fleece Hotel. This is one of the best things to do in Cirencester.

4. Cirencester Park

Cirencester Park’s grounds are open to the public without an entry fee, from 8 am to 5 pm each day. At five miles long and three miles wide, the park attracts people to stroll, as it is laid out in the 18th-century English Forest Style with a strict geometry. You can find the style speaking all about rural peace rather than Baroque brilliance. This is one of the top things to do in Cirencester along with your family.

Also read: Best Things to Do in Torquay (Devon, England)

5. Cirencester Amphitheatre

For a section of Corinium Dobunnorum, you should visit the Roman amphitheatre in the southwest of the town. Now, you cannot expect a remarkable monument as the stone terraces were mined long ago and its wooden seats have deteriorated. What you can have look at is the complete earthworks of a venue that could seat 8,000 spectators. Aerial photos give a clear idea of how this field looked in its 2nd-century. Doesn’t it fascinate you and your family? Do not forget to visit this top 10 things to do in Cirencester.

6. New Brewery Arts

This arts and crafts centre located in a converted Victorian brewery has galleries, studios, a cafe and a shop as well. You will get to see the interaction it affords with craftspeople, and the chance to see them at work. You will find ceramicists, glass-blowers, stained-glass painters, jewellers, textile artists, book-binders and upholsterers. The resident weaver is also outstanding for being the only one in the UK to use a classic eight-shaft loom. Do add this in your list of top things to do in Cirencester, if you are an art lover.

Also read: The National Gallery In London – Paradise Of Art

7. Cerney House Gardens

Hidden away in the Cotswolds countryside, you will find this magical garden on a roost above the Churn Valley. Surrounded by woodland, the Cerney House Gardens found its spot in the grounds of a Georgian house, and offer new pleasures with every season. One should not miss to visit the Victorian walled garden (main attraction) and its fragrant herbaceous borders and roses on the trellis. This is one of the top things to do in Cirencester with your children.

8. Abbey Grounds

Looking across the St John’s, you can find this public park with a compelling history. Abbey Grounds grew rich in Medieval times through the wool trade. Consecrated in the 12th century, the abbey was dragged down in the 16th century during the ending of the monasteries by Henry VIII. You will also find reminiscent pieces of stonework from the abbey and the country house that took its place. You can also see handicrafts discovered during excavations in the 1960s at the Corinium Museum.

9. Chedworth Roman Villa

To really involve yourself in the Roman theme, one of the largest Roman villas in Britain can be found in Chedworth Roman Villa. This residence was built over phases from the 2nd to the 4th centuries when it reached its climax. The villa had a fiery west wing and a dining room laid with a marvellous mosaic floor, as well as two bathing suits. The site was revealed 150 years ago and partly sheltered by a modern conservation building, with elevated walkways over the bathhouses, hypocaust and mosaics.

10. Rodmarton Manor

A remarkable piece of Arts and Crafts architecture and interior design, Rodmarton Manor was completed in over 20 years up to 1929. People can find the similarity according to designs by luminaries of the movement like Ernest Barnsley, his brother Sidney Barnsley and Norman Jewson. You can see all the fixtures and furniture at Rodmarton Manor commissioned specifically for the house and crafted locally by the Cotswold Group of Craftsmen. With this, we come to the end of top things to do in Cirencester.

Also Read: Best Things to Do in Plymouth (Devon, England)

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