Robert Heaven – författare

Cirencester – or Corinium as it was known at the time – was one of the largest Roman settlements in Britain and the Corinium Museum holds an extensive collection of Roman artefacts. Cirencester Abbey generated great wealth in the mediaeval period and although demolished in the Dissolution the name lives on in the Abbey House flats built on the site in the 1960s. Today the chief mediaeval glory of Cirencester is the parish church of St John Baptist built on the wool trade but there are many other fascinating buildings in the town that mark the stages of its history and the changing fortunes of its inhabitants through the ages, from the Corn Hall representing the change in agricultural production in the area, the railway station and canals that connected Cirencester in the Industrial Revolution, the founding of the Royal Agricultural College, numerous non-conformist places of worship, the Salvation Army’s Temperance Hall and the Old Workhouse, to the cinemas built for 20th century entertainment and the military legacy of the town to be seen at Cecily Hill Barracks and the NAAFI. Everyday buildings such as schools, inns, hotels, libraries and hospitals also have a role to play in the town’s history.Cirencester in 50 Buildings explores the history of this town through a selection of its most interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have taken place over the years. The book will appeal to all those who live in Cirencester or who have an interest in the area.

If you were lucky enough to be in Cirencester during the nineteen-sixties, seventies, or eighties, time moved a little differently here. The buses were slower, the corner shops always seemed to smell faintly of newspapers and barley sugar, the Wilts & Glos Standard was your go-to for everything from council news to jumble sales and a trip to the outdoor pool felt like a holiday abroadThis light-hearted look back is a celebration of that slower, sweeter time. The market town of Cirencester has grown today but it still holds memories of those past decades, from the clatter of hooves at the Royal Agricultural College to the smell of fresh bread wafting from Topps’ bakery, the echoes of children playing in Abbey Grounds, the hum of chatter at the Corn Hall market, and the unmistakable jingle of the ice cream van making its rounds. This lovingly compiled scrapbook of memories, mischief, and moments that made Cirencester the heart of the Cotswolds will appeal to all those who know Cirencester.