Places features

Whether you're an outsider looking in, or an insider living in, what are your true thoughts about Gloucester?

Zunaid.
I was born in the late 60s and grew up in the Barton & Tredworth area. As growing up my experiences were absolutely wonderful. People were nice, it was relatively safe, there was an air of community! And you walk down the road and you always came across someone you knew!My parents moved to Hackney in London when I was 14. I hated the place. Being London it was a very fast impersonal life. Making new friends became harder and harder. Safety and well being…is a big issue in a big city!Anyway graduated from university then shortly after got married and had our first child. When my daughter was 3 my wife and I decided to move out of London and we decided on Gloucester….It gave us everything we needed to live a happy life such as affordable housing, short journey to travel from A to B, good schools, a strong fabric of community, a multi-cultural society, fantastic beautiful countryside……Since then the families grown and I can see from their lives that they are experiencing a similar childhood as mine….Negatives….will yes of course the area needs investment, crime is a factor, shopping is a poor experience and there isn’t anything really to do after 8pm! But having said that the longing to come back to Gloucester was very strong….a strong pull that I gave into and since then haven’t really looked back. There is more Gloucester in me than anything else!Zunaid.

Cotswold Ken
I agree wholeheartedly with Angus & Flick! Hawk shooting is a great country sport indulged in by the finest gentry and townies who knock it are just jealous. And if our gardening & bush-trimming does 'border' on the obsessive then so be it. Furthermore, carrying a heavy sack of wool on head can be a great solace away from terrifying music festivals!

Peter
The Cotswolds are great! Gloucester is vile!

Flick
I have lived in Gloucestershire all my life (23 years) and have only been into Gloucester 'city' twice in that whole time! I thank that this speaks volumes for our 'County City' (don't you 'Gloster Boy'?!) Give me the Cotswolds any day, thay are simply splendid! Gloucester is just shocking (and the near-by suburbs too) and don't get me started on the Forest of Dean (scary!)

Angus
Clearly, the people from Gloucester have no taste! Shame!

Lucinda
I think I'd prefer the humour of Gloucester to the uptight primness of a place like Tetbury. Gloucester is nearly always good for a laugh and has lots of great rugby teams, but all Tetbury folk seem to do is trim their hedges, maintain (not 'live' in) their picture postcard dwellings & tug their forelocks & doff their caps at some rare hawk killing, 'upper-echelon' gun-toter.

Dee Phitgall
I find Gloucester or Coleford much more fun, and the people smarter mentally, than some twee Cotswold place where noone smiles for fear of wrinkles & their idea of fun is some grim sweaty woolsack-carrying affair. Compare that to Gloucester's cheese-rolling or the Coleford Music Festival, where everyone is having a great laugh!

Gloster Boy
You'll find the native wit far sharper in Glos City than in the the supposedly 'tasteful' place like Tetbury. I love the way a reference to the 'one eyed man is King' proverb goes straight over the head of a Tetbury person, who goes on to give it the old "I say old chap, we have the glory for being the one-eyeds of the county". Love it! Thanks for the laugh, Angus, it's on you.

Angus
Don't try and take our glory in the rest of the county 'Gloster Boy' because we all have a bit of pride where we live and don't let it all go to pot!!! I live in Tetbury and feel that Bath is far more representative of my local geography (taste, population and 'gorgeous-wise' than grotty old Gloucester. You know when a city really has had its day when people all talk about 'how friendly the locals are'......(!) Also, Cheltenham, posh?! don't make me laugh. It's the new Chav town of the West country!!!!!

MILES
Gloucester was ruined in the sixties and seventies by town planners. It once was beautiful and can be again. It does have a friendly population compared with other large towns/small cities in the south. As to all these comments about Cheltenham you take your life in your own hands on a weekend night out there. Statistics show your more likely to suffer violent crime in Chelt than Glos! Prof Yaffle is right what on earth are those balconies all about?

Gloster Boy
People say the county of Glos'shire is lovely. People say Love is Blind. That makes us in Glos City King of the county of Glos'shire.

Doughy's Dad
Like I say to Doughy, "we're modern day Olympians, bruv, that's why outsiders fear us".There's never a problem until an outsider comes along & starts complaining. Why can't hat Ruby Loveness can wear wellies like the rest of us!

Robert Beale
Unpleasant city which has been known to produce the odd mass murderer. Also has some inbreeding. Best avoided.

Denroy
Gloster got the best shops. You can buy plantains in a number of shops - and on the market - here. And they taste Boom!

Doughy
Gloucester rules! I notice that outsiders like Mr Schemmel there are very brave on a computer. But if I was in Kings Square with my Dad & brother, then I bet there's no way Marcus & all his mates would give either of us any lip.

gary greenhouse
I love the county but Gloucester is a toilet. The city centre is full of slobs. Drunks litter the streets at weekends and there certainly appears to be a severe obesity issue going on. Cromwell Street has cast a shadow as well.I hate the place that's for sure which is why I live in Cheltenham

Prof Yaffle
Don't sell your soul to the 'devil-opers' and pin your hopes on retail. Bottom line driven regeneration equates to Legoland. Feel the history, use what's here in Gloucester. Pretentious Cheltenham only has Montpelier and the Prom, the rest is not so impressive. Gloucester is on the up, but why strange turquoise balconies down at the docks?!

Marcus Schemmel
Doughty, your sister is your mother, you father is your brother? Do you have a television set?

Ruby Loveness
Gloucester needs looking after a bit better - it has some real gems but also suffers neglect. There's been a blocked drain outside Iceland in Kings Square for some time, which causes a huge, deep puddle to form - just the sort of thing to cause visitors to famously not return, I understand! Often the City Centre drains, particularly by the Post Office, smell awful. A few touches like these being sorted out would so improve the great place & make it feel much more welcoming.

Doughy's Mum
Like my brother says, it's the sort of City families want to stay in for centuries. we're very tolerant of outsiders here - even the Scottish are welcome!

adge cutler
there's nothing like good cider, to make yer smile grow wider. Gloucester is quite pretty with some nice off licences but the smock shop in Taunton gives the place the edge

Angus
Yep!

Doughy
My family have lived in Gloucester & run a local bakery for generations - since 1842. You copuld say we've been 'in bread' here for well over a century!

Angus
Michelle, I think that you are talking about Gloucester-shire (which you are right in saying, is truley fantastic). The city of Gloucester is another story. It's just terrible!

Michelle
I was born in Gloucester and moved to Australia when I was very young. I have come back a few times now and love it. There is so much history and so many beautiful places to go that are so close by. My family live there still and you couldn't meet a nicer bunch of people. So friendly. Gloucester has culture and a wonderful feel about it and I can't wait to get back there again.

Dickie Timbrell
I think that Cornish bloke needs to go back the land of pasties, ice cream & old tin mines. Gloster rocks and I'm not talking crystal meths here.

mike h
gloucester is very rough. The people dress is old shabby clothes or cheap track suits. The buildings are run down and scruffy. Kings square is awful. Too many scrounging beggars and alcoholics on the street. What's more there is absolutely nothing to do.

Frank Lee Speaking
Graham Ponting is indeed correct about the curry houses & pubs and diversity of Gloucester having the edge over Cheltenham. However I have always felt that the eye candy crown goes to Cheltenham for it's tidy, posh-but-naughty, totty. As for Bath, well I need a cold shower after visiting there & admiring it's seriously fit & hot (ahem) 'architecture'

John
I agree with Mr Cornish. Gloucester is common and crappy. Give me 'toffs' in Cirencester and Tetbury anyday (not so many in Cheltenham left anymore now, as they have build so many chavvy new houses in Bishops Cleeve that the riff-raff have moved in and style and taste have moved out). Gloucester is a national discrace!!!

Graham Ponting
I'll brush you under the carpet in a minute Cornish. Gloucester is fandabidozee in my opinion. Pubs, clubs, curry houses and lush birds grace our city streets. You obviously prefer streets festooned with students, toffs and roll-up chuffing hippies. Cheltenham?..humf..

the crafty butcher
gloucester is better than vegas, new york and london put together. why? we are nicer to our animals is the simple answer and we don't put on accents to make it seem we are in a movie like those poseurs. Cheggers would only go to the best city and where was he this year? that's my question to those cheeky cockneys and americans.

Cornish (stroud)
Any city capable of producing mass murderers (you know who) and then brushing it all under the carpet is dysfunctional in my book. I prefer Cheltenham as I feel safe there.

Ray Sherman
Except for the ones in the Mall, the toilets in Gloucester are a disgrace. I have heard people say that they won't visit again because of this. COME ON CITY COUNCIL IF YOU WANT TOURISTS GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!!

Paula Benitto
Gloster is brillyunt and all them people that says Bath is bestest just says that cos they cant afford to take a bath or shower and smells bad

kiki
gloucester is great, amazing rugby team, friendly people, may not be the best looking but its what inside that counts like the atmosphere and welcoming Gloucester people!!

John Hicks
Most areas could do with a makeover. Rather disapointing for a shire city

Doris
I rest my case....

Charles
Gloucester and Cheltenham are both lovely, there aren't much chavs in Gloucester and Cheltenham, there might be a few. Bath is the best. Gloucester used to be a dump because they did not spend there money but there slightly spending it, most of the shops in Gloucester is getting refurbished. The docks is lovelly part of Gloucester, the docks are going to have loads of stuff. Gloucester is building a massive outlet shopping center.Cheltenham is ok.

Doris Morris
Gloucester is really dodgy! It's a shame that a lovely county like Gloucestershire has such a terrible county city. Knock it down and start again. The suburbs are really horrible also! Cheltenham is better but is also going the same way as Gloucester...cheap, naff and chavy. Bath is best.

Hannah
Less inequality? that would be because its all rubbish.

Neil Elkins
Gloucester is without question the most stagnant city I have ever had the misfortune to endure. Not only is it filthy and (except for the cathedral) aesthetically displeasing, but it is also brimming with hostility and has fewer lookers than any other UK town or city.Gloucester - what a place.

Sharon
I agree Gloucester RUFC are not as good as Bath .... they are BETTER!!!!

Michael
So James, are B*** in the Heineken Cup and top of the Premiership at the moment?Didn't think so!Glawsterz great!

James
Well its not anywhere near as nice as Bath. Not as pretty and the rugby teams not as good either.

Phillip Hicks
Dirty, messed up, bitty City,Lack Lustre. Docks spoilt by the new development. Very run down in some areas.

Sharon
The city of Gloucester is THE BEST! I'm a regular visitor to Gloucester and hoping to move to the city soon. Gloucester is a much better place to be than the frantic, stressful cities of the north like Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds. At the moment - in the name of re-development - there are building sites everywhere in Sheffield ... high rise hotels, apartments and multi-storey car parks are being erected in every available space. As an outsider wanting to move in - some of the things I love about Gloucester are: it's rich history, the docks (I love the Antiques Centre), the cathedral is beyond magnificent, the surrounding countryside is lovely and lush, the air is breathable, and - so importantly - the people are great (chilled out, friendly, down to earth, with a distinctive sense of humour!). The music is good - there is a superb community radio station, GFM, which I regularly listen to on the internet. And there's the Cheese Roll, the Severn Bore ... and so much more!

guy williams
I loves gloster and always have. Cheltenham is too snooty and that lundun is too far. We have a really good pound shop and we ent too far from a forest. The peepul always seems ok exept when they are in a bad mood.We even had cheggers at are chrismas party.