Jobs in Gloucester | Pictures of Gloucester

Gloucester is acknowledged to be one of England 's top ten historic cities. Yet despite being the county town of Gloucestershire, it isn't the biggest - that position goes to neighbouring Cheltenham - occupying just 15 square miles.

With its Roman foundations, Victorian Docklands and the magnificent Norman Cathedral rubbing shoulders with a bustling city centre that boasts a wide range of shops, markets, restaurants, pubs and visitor attractions, Gloucester is home to around 110.000 inhabitants – a third of whom are under the age of 25 years.

Getting around Gloucester
The roads entering the city are excellent communication links, with Gloucester directly linked with the M5 motorway and the main A38 that links the city with nearby Cheltenham, Cirencester, Hereford and Bristol . Travelling into the centre itself is relatively stress-free – just make sure you have plenty of spare change for the parking meter if you miss out on one of the few car park spaces.

The bus and train stations are directly opposite one another with the latter boasting Europe 's longest platform. However, Gloucester station is predominantly for connections to London, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham with nearby Cheltenham operating more localised routes. Indeed, trains between Cheltenham and Gloucester operate every half hour and take around 10 minutes. So travelling by bus for shorter distances is generally the preferred choice with Stagecoach operating most of the local bus services in and out of Gloucester .

Alternatively, there are several cycle routes around Gloucester and it is possible to have a fairly stress-free cycle ride around the city and its suburbs. There are also cycle routes to both Cheltenham and even to Bristol with the relief that the city centre relatively flat and is quite compact so you can easily walk around it too.

Eating, drinking and shopping in Gloucester
There are a number of restaurants catering for truly global tastes, including the best of English, Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Thai and Indian cuisine. Westgate – one of four main pedestrianised roads in the city centre - is renowned for food, fashion and family businesses and its cosmopolitan atmosphere with tables on the street and in hidden courtyards.

And the best choice of wine bars, pubs and clubs are all within a stones-throw of the Cross. But for a taste of some local real ales and the chance to escape the centre, the surrounding Forest of Dean has much to offer.

Being a former Roman city it goes without saying that the streets are laid out in an organised, easy to navigate fashion which means that shoppers get around the town quickly and easily. Gloucester 's four main shopping streets – imaginatively named Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate – are all pedestrianised and offer all the usual high street stores that you would expect to find in most cities.

The modern, enclosed Mall Eastgate and Kings Walk, both just off Eastgate Street , are particularly popular for shopping.  These centres are made livelier by the presence of stalls and independent stands. Indeed, Gloucester has been very successful in retaining much of its market town atmosphere and the city's naturally advantageous position between Wales and the rest of England means that market trade is still important, more than 2,000 years since it first began.

Just off East Gate Shopping is an all year round covered market which, besides being a great place to pick up a bargain, also has stalls selling traditional local produce such as the famous Gloucester sausage.

It's well worth taking the few minutes to walk down Westgate Street and along Berkeley Street to the Victorian Dock and Merchant's Quay with its own specialist shopping centre with very individual shops.

However, when you are looking for a chance to relax and fancy spending some time appreciating what made Gloucester the city it is today, there are a number of sights that are well worth a visit.

St Peter's Abbey has become an important place of pilgrimage after the murdered King Edward II was buried here in 1327. Whilst the National Waterways Museum, Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, and Nature in Art - the first museum in the world to be dedicated exclusively to artworks inspired by nature – offer a chance to while-away a few hours.

However, the chief glory of Gloucester is its cathedral. The east window is the largest medieval stained glass window in the world and the cloisters were used as locations for the Harry Potter films.

And for something entirely different, there is the dramatic Severn Bore. This surge wave, up to 2m in height, regularly forms in the Severn Estuary and travels upstream in three or four unbroken waves.

Main residential areas
Gloucester has long been second to the strong Cheltenham market, but the gap is starting to close. The housing market is doing well, due to recent investment in the docks. The Victorian warehouses are being converted into riverside apartments which has pushed prices upwards.

Elsewhere, Gloucester Docks is a collection of new builds that have been designed to complement the adjacent Grade II listed warehouses. But if city living doesn't appeal, a good selection of family homes on the outskirts of the city, which include newly built houses as well as older properties.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, take a look at some of the current property available to buy or let in Gloucester.

Take a closer look
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see some images from in and around Gloucester below.

Looking for local vacancies? See all current jobs in Gloucester or find out more information on the local area.