The Westgate area of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

is centred on Westgate Street, one of the four main streets of Gloucester and one of the oldest parts of the city. The population of the Westgate ward in Gloucester was 6,687 at the time of the 2011 Census.

Notable buildings

Sculpture of cherubs in Three Cocks Lane - geograph

St. Nicholas' Church, a redundant

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and Grade I listed building is situated at the far end of Westgate Street with Gloucester Folk Museum almost opposite.

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

is not far away and the main entrance to the Cathedral precincts is via College Green from Westgate Street. Next to St. Nicholas' Church is the Dick Whittington Tavern, known originally as ''St. Nicholas House'', a 15th-century town house once owned by the Whittington family of the ''Tale of Dick Whittington and his Cat'' fame. The house was restored by

Gloucester Civic Trust Gloucester Civic Trust Limited is a registered charity (number 264719)Old Judges House, at No.26 is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. Just outside the western entrance to the Cathedral precincts is St. Mary de Lode Church in Archdeacon Street, reputed to be built on the site of the first Christian church in Britain and next to it, the monument to Bishop John Hooper, burnt at the stake there in 1555. Just off Westgate street is the ''House of the Tailor of Gloucester'', used by

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

as the setting for the story of the same name. The original part of Gloucester Shire Hall, opened 1816 and designed by

Sir Robert Smirke Sir Robert Smirke (1 October 1780 – 18 April 1867) was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture, though he also used other architectural styles (such as Gothic and Tudor). As an attached (i.e. official) arch ...

, fronts Westgate Street. On the north side of Westgate Street is the former site of the Theatre Royal where

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

and

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

once played. The site is now a Poundstretcher discount store. Pubs include: *'' The Lower George Inn'' 121 Westgate Street. (Used to be The Pig Inn) *'' The Fountain Inn'' 53 Westgate Street. *''The Dick Whittington'' 100 Westgate Street. *'' The Sword Inn'' 43/45 Westgate Street. (Used to be called The Union) *''The Golden Fleece'' (closed) *'' Old Crown Inn'' 81-83 Westgate Street. *''The Lamprey'' 56 Westgate Street. *''The Theatre Vaults'' 152, then 30 Westgate Street. (closed)

Notable inhabitants

Jemmy Wood James "Jemmy" Wood (7 October 1756 – 20 April 1836) was the owner of the Gloucester Old Bank who became nationally known as "The Gloucester Miser". His wealth of around £900,000 was stated at the time to have made him "the richest commone ...

, the legendary ''Gloucester Miser'' ran his Gloucester Old Bank from a medieval timber building at 22 Westgate Street, that remained until the nineteenth century. The building occupied by the bank was subsequently replaced by a Victorian Gothic building and more recently by a new building. Further down the street is the home of the young

Charles Wheatstone Sir Charles Wheatstone (; 6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875) was an English physicist and inventor best known for his contributions to the development of the Wheatstone bridge, originally invented by Samuel Hunter Christie, which is used to m ...

, the physicist - pioneer of telecommunications and cryptography (not to mention music acoustics etc.)

Westgate Bridge

The Westgate Bridge over the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

was once the longest in England. It has been replaced several times over its history. The original medieval bridge had five great arches. In 1542 Sir Thomas Bell and his wife Joan assigned property on a sale and leaseback arrangement to the City Corporation to be used after their deaths for repairing Westgate Bridge and causeway. In 1816, the medieval bridge was replaced by a single-span bridge designed by

, architect of the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, who also designed Gloucester Shire Hall, also in Westgate Street. Until the first

Severn Crossing The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in ...

was opened near

Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...

in 1966, the Westgate Bridge was the most southerly crossing point on the Severn for road traffic to or from

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. In the 1970s two new wide-span road bridges were built, one for each direction of traffic flow. Between these a separate foot and cycle bridge was also built. The two road bridges were replaced again in the late 1990s, opening in 2000. There are a number of Segregated Bicycle Paths which use the central bridge connecting nearby villages via Alney Island.

Politics

Westgate forms its own electoral ward in the constituency of Gloucester but it is not a parish and so does not have a parish council.Westgate ward.

Gloucestershire County Council Gloucestershire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, in England. The council was created in 1889. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social servi ...

, 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.

References

External links

Gloucester Folk Museum
{{Transport in Gloucestershire Transport in Gloucester Roads in Gloucestershire Streets in Gloucester