| The small, country town of Dursley lies about half way between Gloucester and Bristol on the south-west edge of the Cotswold Hills. Dursley is a popular destination for visitors, being ideally situated for touring the many villages and hamlets in the surrounding countryside, and at the same time being within easy reach of some of the most visited towns and cities in England. |  |
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Your first call in Dursley should be to the library – right next to the bus station. There you can pick up a small brochure headed “A Town Trail” This simple little booklet will take you on a casual one-hour walk, easily followed, that will let you track more than250 years of visible history. It will explain Dursley’s mention in the doomsday book and how the town first became known in 1471 when King Edward IV granted it a Charter. It will lead you to real sites that you can touch, smell and photograph. |
“From The Beginning Of Time” And there‘s a hint of the unusual, people like Michael Pedersen, a Danish inventor of a very unusual bicycle that to this day has a world-wide following, and the Olde Belle Hotel, once a coaching inn - and still easily recognised as such - and once used as a court-house. The Town Hall in particular might take your interest. Not unusual, as town halls go among the Cotswolds - bit in the air, really! Beneath the Town Hall is the market place, still used today. Perhaps one of the few undercover markets in its time. Right in the centre of the town, the building was thought of as an ideal spot for the fire bell. So one was built in 1738 by the then Lord of the Manor. It is dated 1747 and bears the inscription “Come away without delay.” Right opposite is the five hundred-year-old St. James’s Church that sounds its carillon every three hours beginning at nine o’clock each morning and playing a different hymn each day of the week. Behind the church in Broadwell, the oldest part of the town, runs the crystal clear waters of the stream that was once the town’s water supply. Dursley is not a town one dwells in as a visitor. It is a centre that is nice to start from and to return to after a day’s outing. However, Dursley has its own pubs, clubs, restaurants and its churches, all of which, are delighted to welcome you. And of course, the town has its own individual charm. Away from the madding crowd, the small town of Dursley caters for all comers with the willingness that comes with a natural friendship for strangers, especially foreign visitors, and to help those who come to our town to enjoy their stay, not just in our town but also in the beautiful countryside that surrounds us. |
