St Michael's Tower, Gloucester, stands at The Cross, where the four main streets of Gloucester (Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate Streets) meet. The Cross is also the highest point in the city. The Tower is on the corner of Eastgate and Southgate Streets and the entrance is in Southgate Street. It was built in 1465 on the site of the previous St Michael the Archangel. [1] It is no longer used for religious ceremonies. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1952. [2]
The tower was built in 1465 on the site of the nave of the previous church of St Michael the Archangel. There had been a church on the site since the 12th century and Roman remains were found under the tower. In the 1840s the old church was demolished, apart from the tower, and a new church was constructed in 1851. The new St Michael’s Church was closed in 1940, however, and in 1952 the parish was united with St Mary de Crypt. [1] The main part of the new church was demolished in 1956, but again the tower was spared. [3]
From 1976 until 1981, the upper floors were used as a bell museum and between 1985 and 1998 it was used as a tourist information centre. At one time the ground floor was an open walkway between Eastgate and Southgate Streets. Eventually it fell into disrepair and was used as storage space by Gloucester City Council. [1]
In 2009, Gloucester City Council granted a lease on the building to the Gloucester Civic Trust and in 2010 the Tower was restored by the trust at a cost of over £300,000, with the help of grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other donors. The Tower has since become the headquarters of the civic trust who aim to create "A tower of learning" devoted to the history of Gloucester. [4]
In August 2011 a campaign was launched by the Civic Trust to reinstate a bell in the tower. [5] this has now been achieved. [6]
Gloucester is a cathedral city and district in Gloucestershire, of which it is the county town, in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, 19 miles (31 km) east of Monmouth, and 17 miles (27 km) east of the border with Wales. Including suburban areas, Gloucester has a population of around 150,000. It is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to the Severn Estuary.
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury,, in the English county of Gloucestershire, is a parish church and a former Benedictine monastery. It is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain, and has probably the largest Romanesque crossing tower in Europe.
Glevum was a Roman fort in Roman Britain that became a "colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today, it is known as Gloucester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire. The name Glevum is taken by many present-day businesses in the area and also by the 26-mile Glevum Way, a long-distance footpath or recreational walk encircling modern Gloucester.
Sir Thomas Bell the Elder (1486–1566) was a cap manufacturer, mayor of Gloucester, and member of Parliament. He was one of the city's largest employers and wealthiest citizens and a great benefactor of the city and its people. He is described in contemporaneous documents as a "capper". He invested much of his wealth in real estate released on the Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes in partnership with Richard Duke, of Otterton, Devon, Clerk of the Court of Augmentations.
St Peter's Church is in Eastgate Street in the centre of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England, immediately to the north of Chester Cross. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Church of England parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. The ancient walls mark the boundaries of the parish.
St Oswald's Church was an Anglican church in the village of Lassington and the civil parish of Highnam, Gloucestershire, England. Only the tower survived to the present day, and it is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The tower is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,
St Nicholas Church is a historic church in Westgate Street in the city of Gloucester, England, under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Its truncated spire is a landmark in the city centre.
St Mary de Lode Church is a Church of England church immediately outside the grounds of Gloucester Cathedral. It is believed by some to be on the site of the first Christian church in Britain. The church is in the Diocese of Gloucester and Grade I listed by English Heritage. It has also been known as St. Mary Before the Gate of St. Peter, St. Mary Broad Gate and St. Mary De Port.
St Mary de Crypt Church, Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1, is an Anglican Church, which was first recorded in 1140 as The Church of the Blessed Mary within Southgate. It is in the Diocese of Gloucester and is located adjacent to the ruins of Greyfriars. It has also been known as Christ Church and St. Mary in the South. St Mary de Crypt is a Grade I listed building.
The New Inn, 16 Northgate Street, Gloucester, England, is a timber framed building used as a public house, hotel and restaurant. It is the most complete surviving example of a medieval courtyard inn with galleries in Britain, and is a Grade I listed building. The announcement of Lady Jane Grey's succession to the English throne was made from the Inn gallery in 1553.
Gloucester Civic Trust Limited is a registered charity which exists to promote the appreciate and conservation of Gloucester's heritage. Founded in 1972, the Trust is based in St. Michael's Tower, The Cross, Gloucester GL1 1PA.
The Westgate area of Gloucester 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.
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital is an acute District General Hospital on the Great Western Road in Gloucester operated by the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Bearland House is a grade II* listed building in Longsmith Street, Gloucester, England.
The Eastgate Shopping Centre is a two-story indoor shopping centre in Gloucester, England. It opened its portico entrance on 3 July 1973.
Kings Walk Shopping Centre is a single-storey indoor shopping centre in Gloucester, England. Built between 1969 and 1972, it is part of the Kings Quarter development that includes an outdoor pedestrianised area.
9 and 9A Southgate Street is a 17th-century Jacobean timber-framed merchant's house on Southgate Street, Gloucester. It has been a Grade I listed building since 23 January 1952. 9 Southgate Street is now occupied by Costa Coffee and 9A Southgate Street is occupied by The Tiger's Eye restaurant.
High Orchard was an industrial area of the city of Gloucester in England that was developed in the 19th century on the former orchard of the Priory of Llanthony Secunda (1136). The area was closely associated with Gloucester Docks immediately to the north, and served by the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and railway transport. It was the site of Fielding & Platt's Atlas Works and a number of other significant local employers.
St Owen's Church was a church and parish within the City of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. The parish church of St Owen's was situated on Southgate Street, just outside the South Gate of the formerly walled city, and was founded before 1100, but was demolished by the City Corporation in 1643, during the Civil War in advance of the Siege of Gloucester.
Gloucester Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Gloucester. It is a Grade II listed building.
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Coordinates: 51°51′55″N2°14′45″W / 51.8652°N 2.2458°W
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