Gloucester Today

The centre of Gloucester changed considerably in the twentieth century as many ancient buildings were demolished to make way for modern retail developments. People moved out of the centre, and as new housing estates sprang up on the outskirts more roads had to be built.

The city centre became virtually unpopulated and by the First World War it was entirely dominated by shops and businesses.

This deterioration continued after the Second World War; industry declined and the Docks fell out of use. The centre was now considered to be 'unworthy' of a historic city so the city council commissioned the distinguished civic architect G.A. Jellicoe to construct a new Masterplan for Gloucester.

The Jellicoe Plan was delivered in 1962, and led to years of redevelopment on a huge scale as more of the historic fabric of the city was torn down for the construction of Kings Square, King's Walk and Eastgate Shopping Centre.

The opening of the first Severn Bridge in 1966 and the construction of the M5 in 1971 got rid of the almost-permanent traffic jam at The Cross.

At the end of the century Gloucester's recovery began with a tourism-led regeneration of the Docks and the city council's courageous decision to transfer its activities to the derelict North Warehouse. The Victorian Guildhall was subsequently converted into a successful Arts Centre. The city centre was pedestrianised in the mid 1990s, Gloucester Leisure Centre was reconstructed and a number of smaller projects began to uplift the city.

Nevertheless, nearly all of the other major redevelopment projects in the city, including the regeneration the Docks, the remodelling of Kings Square, Blackfriars Priory, the Cattle Market and important transport infrastructure improvements were to fail or stumble, thus stimulating the involvement in the city of the South West of England Regional Development Agency and the launch of the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company in early 2004.

At the time of writing a number of large scale development projects are again transforming the face of the city. The University of Gloucestershire has built an award-winning campus at Oxstalls. New roads, houses, business parks, student accommodation, shops, restaurants and business properties are creating new prosperity and new confidence across the city and throughout its commercial hinterland. Much remains to be done, but it seems that once more Gloucester is a great city whose time has come.