Jul 10th - London to Gloucester

 Travel day

We’re back on the road again and this time on our way to Gloucester from London, where we’ve just spent the weekend with friends. 


Paddington Station with a ‘friend’! 😆

It was a decent trip to Gloucester, on a near empty train, and we were soon checked-in and ‘out and about’ town.  The only reason for coming here today was to see the cathedral and so this was our first port of call.  

Originally built in the 1300’s as a monastery this magnificent building became a cathedral in the 16th century during the English Reformation.  Apparently it only managed to survive the ravages of Henry VIII because it happens to be the final resting place of Edward II AND the Abbot made a ‘deal’ with Henry AND then recognised him as head of the church!  Good job Abbott Parker I say as this is a stunning cathedral.  One of the standouts is ‘The Great East Window’ which, at 22 metres in height and 12 metres in width, is the size of a tennis court!  At the time of its installation in the 1350’s it was the largest window in the world and over 75% of the glass today remains original. 

The cloisters are another standout and are said to be one of the best preserved medieval examples in the country.  The architecture and fan-vaulting here is just fantastic and definitely worth a visit. For Harry Potter fans there’s also an added bonus as a number of the HP films had scenes filmed here! 🔮🪄😱😂

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