Here in Gloucestershire we’re blessed with some fantastic museums that help explain the history of our great county and the influential people born in the south-west. Now that the summer holidays have begun, here’s five museums that are well worth visiting.

1) Holst Birthplace Museum – Located just a short walk from the centre of Cheltenham lies a museum dedicated to the life of one of Gloucestershire’s most famous sons. Gustav Holst is best remembered for his sublime ‘The Planets’ suite, a stunning piece of music that he composed in his Cheltenham town house. The museum houses the very same piano that Gustav Holst wrote ‘The Planets’ on and has been carefully restored to match how it would have looked when Holst lived there at the end of the nineteenth century.

2) Soldiers of Gloucestershire – This Gloucester museum is dedicated to the memory of all those who have served their country as Soldiers of Gloucestershire. Located in Gloucester Docks, the museum gives visitors the opportunity to discover the lives of Gloucestershire soldiers from the last 300 years. The story begins in 1694 and travels through the Napoleonic Wars, the Age of Empire, World Wars, Korea and right up to modern day conflicts.

3) Nature in Art – The world’s first museum and art gallery dedicated to art inspired by nature, visitors to the stunning Georgian mansion are treated to a wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures and exhibitions by visiting artists. Just a short drive from Gloucester, Nature in Art is the perfect place for animal lovers to immerse themselves in the extensive collection of artwork.

4) Snowshill Manor – The sixteenth century country house is best known for its twentieth century owner, Charles Paget Wade, an eccentric man who amassed an enormous collection of objects that interested him. Managed by the National Trust, every room in Snowshill Manor is filled with hundreds of objects, from model boats to Samurais, to toys and an attic filled with bicycles.

5) Tewkesbury Museum – This seventeenth century building is a treasure house of local history, housing a vast collection illustrating life in Tewkesbury. There are unique galleries about travelling fairs, the Battle of Tewkesbury and local polar explorer Raymond Priestley alongside the story of the town and its people.