A visit to Gloucester Cathedral

Driving up to Ludlow, from Hampshire, we made a stop at the spectacular Gloucester Cathedral.

Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral

It is steeped in history, having been a place of worship, in some form or another, for close on 1,000 years! Gloucester’s great Cloister, over 650 years old, is famous for its breath-taking fan vaulting, the earliest of its kind (and of course, the filming of Harry Potter….), but was originally built to house the Abbey’s monks and provided space to live, work and meditate.

The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral

The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral 

Alice and I forgot to bring our capes and wands, but did our best flying impression through the cloisters!

Flying through the Cloisters

Flying through the Cloisters

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Cathedral Cafe and Alice was delighted that the young man serving us understood her Pokemon Go addiction! At this stage in her visit to the UK she had failed to see an elusive ‘Mr. Mime’ pop up (though she’d seen them in her ‘nearby’ section often enough!).

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Grandma, Grandad and Alice at Gloucester Cathedral

After lunch we meandered through the cathedral to the ‘Whispering Gallery’ and to get a closer look at the incredible ‘Great East Window‘.

‘One of Gloucester Cathedral’s greatest treasures is the Great East Window. Situated in the Quire behind the high altar, the window is placed at the very heart of the Cathedral. Installed in the early 1350’s, it is one of the greatest landmarks of European stained glass.’

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Great East Window of Gloucester Cathedral

The ‘Whispering Gallery’, is one of the cathedrals best kept secrets, providing one of the most spectacular views of the Cathedral.

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In the Whispering Gallery

It was also a fascinating and intriguing place for Alice to visit with her Grandparents.