Gloucester’s unique selling point is its history and heritage. The first two weeks of September are usually a great time to see much of that on display.

This year, the start is on September 2nd with Gloucester Day. This present-day celebration (the brainchild of Alan Myatt, the Town Crier for Gloucester), commemorates the liberation of the city from the King’s forces in the Civil War in 1643. The day starts with the installation of the new Mock Mayor of Barton, reminding us that after the restoration of the Monarchy, the King punished the city for supporting Parliament against his father, Charles 1, by removing some areas, namely Barton, from the city’s jurisdiction.

The procession of the Mock Mayor meets up with the City’s Mayor and Sheriff, where, after insults are traded, they happily go into a service at St Mary DeCrypt. The afternoon sees the main procession led by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Gloucester and the Sheriff accompanied by many groups, including hundreds of local people demonstrating their pride in the city.

Gloucester Day is the start of a two-week series of events, collectively known as the Gloucester History Festival. To find out more details, visit gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk

A very interesting fortnight

The period from 8th-10th September is especially interesting because it is the Heritage Open Days event. Although this is a national event, Gloucester has numerous participants. In Gloucester this is organised by the Civic Trust. You can find details of where and when you can visit these special places online at gloucestercivictrust.org

For me, the most interesting opportunities are to visit the talks held in the beautiful setting of Blackfriars, just off Southgate Street. These take place between the 9th and 17th of September. There are five talks per day presented by a variety of writers, historians and politicians, and covering subjects from Anglo Saxon England and Henry VIII, to The Making of the Middle East and the History of East Germany.

Voices Gloucester are also staging a number of events around the city – you can find details at voicesgloucester.org.uk