Essential reference material to complement the architectural images:
The Buildings of England; Gloucestershire 1:
"The Cotswolds"
and
The Buildings of England; Gloucestershire 2:
"The Vale and Forest of Dean"
both by David Verey and Alan Brooks
and published by Penguin Books
with new editions by Yale University Press
To find out more and to view a wide variety of aspects
of Gloucestershire,
refer to Picture Sets 1, 2, 3 and 4 below:
Picture Set 1
Picture Set 2
Picture Set 3
Picture Set 4
Churches

in alphabetical order
GLOUCESTERSHIRE - Some Historical Notes
"Gloucestershire, a west Midland county, situated upon the estuary of
the Severn, and bounded north and north-east by Herefordshire,
Worcestershire, and Warwickshire; by Oxfordshire; south by Berks,
Wilts, and Somerset; and west by Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, and
the estuary of the Severn; greatest length, south-west to north-east
54 miles; greatest breadth, north-west to south-east, 33 miles; area,
783,699 acres; population 572,433. The face of the county shows varied
aspects, of which the most distinctive are the Cotswold Hills, in the
east; the valley of the Severn, in the middle; and the Forest of Dean,
in the west. Besides the Severn there are numerous important rivers,
such as the Avon, Lower Avon, Wye, Thames, and Windrush. The canal
system has been largely developed, and several important water-ways
of that description pass through the county. Agriculture forms the
leading occupation of the rural population; in the hills sheep-farming
receives attention; while the rich valley of the Severn has long been
famed for the superiority of its products. Its luxuriant pastures
especially have originated and supported a great industry in the
shape of dairy farms which produce the celebrated Glo'ster cheese.
In the west of the county are 2 great coal fields - the Forest of Dean
on the north, and the Bristol coal-field on the west. Other minerals
are gypsum, barytes, quartz, limestone, and freestone. The manufactures
are mostly woollen and cotton stuffs, but at Bristol there are also
large hardware manufactures." (Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the
British Isles, 1887.)
The location of Gloucestershire in
England