The Cotswold Guide
A view of Cirencester
Central Cotswolds · Gloucestershire

Cirencester

Capital of the Cotswolds

Cirencester Market Place — the half-timbered Fleece Inn on the right, the church tower of St John the Baptist on the left
The weekly outdoor market on Cirencester Market Place, with green-and-white striped stalls and the church alongside
A cafe terrace on the Market Place, with the spire of St John the Baptist in the background

About Cirencester

Twenty centuries ago, Corinium Dobunnorum was the second-largest city in Roman Britain — only Londinium had more people. Today's Cirencester (CYE-ren-ses-ter, locally) is much smaller but still the busy regional capital, with a Roman museum, a magnificent wool church, and an independent shopping scene that holds its own against any market town in England.

Cirencester Park — 3,000 acres of landscape parkland — opens straight off the high street, an extraordinary green amenity for a town of this size.

The Cotswold Guide view

Cirencester is a wonderful market town. There's a beautiful market square with historic church, some beautiful side streets with independent shops and cafes. The Corinium Museum is a great insight to Roman Britain (more fun than it sounds, we promise!). If you're willing to pay the entrance fee, you can stroll round the wonderful Cirencester Park grounds right from the middle of town. For those looking for more normal shops, there are also regular high street shops. Give the Cirencester Antique Centre a visit too — it goes on and on with all sorts of antiques and bits and bobs.

The Cotswold Guide Top Tips

  • The Saturday charter market still runs on the Market Place every week; the Friday country market is smaller but better for produce.
  • New Brewery Arts, in the converted Victorian brewery off Cricklade Street, is the best independent gallery and craft-shop complex in the Cotswolds.

Attractions in Cirencester

  1. 1

    Museum

    Corinium Museum

    Cirencester was Corinium, the second-largest Roman town in Britain — and this museum holds the mosaics, sculpture, and silver to prove it.

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  2. 2

    Church

    St John the Baptist Church

    The three-storey south porch was built as a town hall; inside, the Boleyn Cup once belonged to Anne Boleyn.

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  3. 3

    Scenic

    Cirencester Park

    Open daily on foot — five-mile broad rides through avenues planted by Alexander Pope's friend, the first Earl Bathurst.

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  4. 4

    Historic

    The Roman Amphitheatre

    Grass-covered banks of one of the largest surviving Roman amphitheatres in Britain, ten minutes' walk from the centre.

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  5. 5

    Arts

    New Brewery Arts

    Working studios for ten resident craftspeople, plus shop, gallery and excellent cafe.

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Where to eat & drink

  • Made by Bob

    Chef-owned all-day brasserie in the Corn Hall — open kitchen, queue at lunch.

  • The Wild Duck Inn

    15th-century pub four miles east at Ewen; a Cotswolds gastronomy classic.

  • Jesse's Bistro

    Hidden behind a butcher's on Black Jack Street; locally-sourced, candle-lit, brilliant.

  • Jack's Coffee Shop

    Tiny, beloved spot for proper espresso and the best brownies in the county.

Getting there

  • By car

    1h45 from London via M4 j15 then A419. Multiple central pay-and-display car parks.

  • By train

    Kemble (4 miles, then bus or taxi); regular Swindon-bound trains stop here.

Best time to visit

Cirencester is genuinely a year-round destination. The Phoenix Festival in July, the Mop Fair in October, and the Christmas illuminations in December are particular highlights.

Upcoming events in Cirencester

For events near Cirencester click here →

Find accommodation near Cirencester

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages within easy reach of Cirencester — browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.

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Attractions near Cirencester

Within 10 miles, ordered by distance.

  1. 1

    Viewpoint · 6.5 mi · Bibury

    Arlington Row

    A line of 14th-century weavers' cottages in Bibury, photographed more than almost any other domestic terrace in England.

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  2. 2

    Wildlife · 6.5 mi · Bibury

    Bibury Trout Farm

    A working farm and shop with feed-the-fish ponds, smoke-house, and a streamside picnic area.

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  3. 3

    Church · 6.5 mi · Bibury

    St Mary's Church

    An exceptionally complete Anglo-Saxon and Norman church; the casts of its chancel arch are in the V&A.

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  4. 4

    Scenic · 6.5 mi · Bibury

    Rack Isle

    The watermeadow between the row and the river, named for the wooden racks where wool once dried.

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  5. 5

    Museum · 7.6 mi · Yanworth, between Cirencester and Northleach

    Chedworth Roman Villa

    One of the largest Roman villas in Britain, hidden in a wooded combe between Cirencester and Northleach — with mosaics rediscovered as recently as 2017.

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Gallery

  • Cirencester Market Place — the half-timbered Fleece Inn on the right, the church tower of St John the Baptist on the left
  • The weekly outdoor market on Cirencester Market Place, with green-and-white striped stalls and the church alongside
  • A cafe terrace on the Market Place, with the spire of St John the Baptist in the background
  • A row of pastel Georgian shopfronts on the Market Place, including The Old Department Store
  • The Old Department Store and neighbouring shops on the Market Place
  • A Cotswold-stone Georgian terrace on the Market Place with a Caffè Nero on the ground floor
  • The full sandstone facade of the Victorian Corn Hall on Market Place
  • Looking up at the Corn Hall — carved stonework and a vertical purple-and-cream flag
  • The Corn Hall entrance with carved stone lanterns either side and a flag overhead
  • Cirencester High Street looking down toward the shops and side lanes
  • Looking up the high street under a long banner for Jacks Cirencester, with cafes spilling onto the pavement
  • A stone arched colonnade running along the high street pavement
  • Looking out through an old wrought-iron doorway towards The Old Department Store across the street
  • Looking up the high street toward the tower and spire of St John the Baptist Church
  • A black-painted Georgian front door with fanlight on a Cotswold-stone townhouse
  • A tall Cotswold-stone Georgian building on a Cirencester side street

Continue reading

Burford

Gateway to the Cotswolds

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A view of Burford