Leigh, The Old Post Office c.1955

Photo ref: L344007

More about this scene

Gloucester has the gravitas befitting a city that has been an important crossing point on the Severn since time long gone, and has played a significant role in the drama of British history for more than two millennia. Cheltenham, on the other hand, would probably still be the single-street market town it used to be, had not its meteoric development as a fashionable spa been kick-started when George III and the royal house- hold came to stay in the late 18th century. Natural beauty, rich history, elegant towns and picture book villages: by whatever criteria we apply, Gloucestershire is glorious. Britain's longest river reaches maturity here as it mean- ders to meet the sea. Most of the Cotswolds, the UK's largest designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, rests within the county bound- ary. Then to add further contrast there is the Royal Forest of Dean, which embraces over 100 square miles of ancient woodland. What is particular about Gloucestershire is that it offers so much variation in landscape. Uplands such as Cleeve Common spread beyond the Cotswold escarpment. Slimbridge - home to the Wildfowl Trust - and other wetlands are found along the Severn.