Cirencester
Cirencester was Roman Britain’s second city, and it still feels like a capital: a wool church, a private park larger than the town itself, and Roman history at every turn.
Cirencester has been known as the “Capital of the Cotswolds” for so long that the title barely needs explaining once you have stood in its Market Place. Long before that, as Corinium Dobunnorum, it was the second largest town in Roman Britain after London, sitting at the junction of three major Roman roads and supporting an amphitheatre built for 8,000 people. That layered history — Roman, medieval wool town, Georgian coaching stop — is still legible across a compact and genuinely handsome town centre, and it sits at the heart of a wider area of villages, water and parkland worth building a longer stay around. This guide sets out what makes Cirencester worth the detour, from its Roman remains and market streets to Cirencester Park and the countryside around it.
Cirencester at a Glance
| Location | South Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, at the junction of the Fosse Way, Ermin Way and Akeman Street |
| Known as | The “Capital of the Cotswolds” |
| Distance from Oxford | Around 35 miles; about an hour by car |
| Distance from London | Around 95 miles; roughly 2 hours by car |
| Nearest railway station | Kemble, about 4 miles away, with direct services to London Paddington and Swindon |
| By road | At the meeting of the A429 (Fosse Way), A417/A419 (Ermin Way) and A433 |
| Parking | Forum and Waterloo car parks, both a short walk from the Market Place |
| Best known for | Roman Corinium, its wool church, Cirencester Park and the Bathurst Estate, and the Cotswold Water Park nearby |
Exploring Cirencester’s Market Place
Cirencester’s Market Place is dominated by the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, often called the “Cathedral of the Cotswolds” — the largest parish church in Gloucestershire, and among the finest of the region’s wool churches. Its oldest surviving part, the chancel, dates to the twelfth century, but most of what stands today was rebuilt in the Perpendicular Gothic style between 1515 and 1530, funded by the town’s wealthy wool merchants, whose crests still decorate the pillars of the nave. The grand south porch, added around 1500, and the 143-foot tower are among its best-known features.
The streets radiating from the Market Place — Black Jack Street, Dyer Street and Cricklade Street among them — hold a genuinely good run of independent shops, and the New Brewery Arts centre, a working craft and design space with galleries, studios and a café, is worth building time into a visit for.
Where to Eat and Drink in Cirencester
Cirencester’s dining has real depth for a town of its size, much of it built around genuinely local sourcing.
- Made by Bob, in the Corn Hall on the Market Place, grew from a deli into one of the town’s best-loved all-day brasseries, previously recognised with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and still a firm local favourite for breakfast through dinner.
- Jesse’s Bistro, tucked in the Stableyard behind Jesse Smith Butchers on Black Jack Street, holds two AA Rosettes and builds its menu around meat from the butchers next door and fresh fish and seafood delivered daily from Cornwall.
- The Court Restaurant, at the Corinium Hotel, offers a more formal dining room in the heart of the town.
- Blend, the café at New Brewery Arts, is a good, casual stop for coffee and lunch between galleries and shops.
For a wider view of dining across the region, the best restaurants in the Cotswolds sets Cirencester’s options in context.