Tag: Museum

Image of the day – 63

Hares have become something of a feature in the town. Recently the hare tradition has spread to the Cotswolds more generally too.

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What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.

I’m posting an image every two days (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.

The photo shows one of a number of beautifully painted hares around the town. This example stands at the southern end of Riverside Walk where it joins Thomas Street.

A hare featured in a Roman mosaic floor discovered just inside the eastern city wall, part of a very impressive town house. The hare mosaic is now in the Corinium Museum and hares have become something of a feature in the town. Recently the hare tradition has spread to the Cotswolds more generally too.

The mosaic was covered over by an underfloor heating system and a new floor laid on top. The new floor did not survive, but the old floor did, protected as it was by the stonework laid above it.

You might like to watch this video about the hare mosaic, published by the Museum.

See also:
Cirencester

For convenience, here’s a list of all the Cirencester area images:

A417 roadworks, Advent Market, Bishops Walk, Baunton, Canal 1, 2, Castle Street, Christmas lights 1, 2, Church 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Churn flood, Countryside, Fallen tree, Fleece, Gasworks, Gloucester Street, Hare 1, 2, Hospital, Market Place 1, Phoenix Fest, Riverside Walk, Stone plaque, Stratton Meadow, Tank traps, View, Wonky 1, 2, Yellow Iris

Themed image collections

The links below will take you to the first post in each collection

Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

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Resources for Cirencester history

The museum hosts meetings with visiting speakers on a wide range of topics and runs town walks focusing on specific time periods.

If you are even slightly interested in the history (and prehistory) of Cirencester, here are some resources you might like to know about. Some are really obvious, others a bit more obscure, but they are all useful. There will be more that I’m not aware of.

Cirencester, Ordnance Survey, mid to late 19th century (National Library of Scotland)
Cirencester Civic Society

The Civic Society has erected blue and purple plaques around the town. The blue plaques provide details of well-known people and events. The purple plaques mark places of significance in Roman times, the city gates for example. The website offers a map of the plaque positions and a walking route to view them all.

Cirencester Town Council

The town council has a short article about the town’s history, a good introduction.

Corinium Museum

The most obvious and outstanding of these resources is, of course, the Corinium Museum. In its original form, on Tetbury Road, it was mostly a collection of Roman artefacts. But today, in its current home on Park Street, it covers an enormous time span, from prehistoric times, practically up to the present day. This museum punches way above its weight for a town the size of Cirencester.

The museum hosts meetings with visiting speakers on a wide range of topics and runs town walks focusing on specific time periods. There’s plenty to see and do, and if this was the only resource in existence you could still learn a great deal about Cirencester’s past.

Facebook groups

If you use Facebook, there are at least three groups on the history of the town that may be of interest: Cirencester past, Cirencester Now & Then, and Old Ciren.

Gloucestershire Heritage Hub

Holds a large collection of relevant documents. Viewing them will involve making an appointment and a trip to Gloucester where they are held in the Gloucestershire Archives by the county council.

Institute of Historical Research

The institute’s material on Cirencester includes drafts of publications covering several periods of the town’s history. These drafts go into considerable detail and are written by qualified experts. They’re well worth a read, you certainly wouldn’t be wasting your time if you want more background on the town.

National Library of Scotland

Despite the name, this organisation holds many historical maps covering the whole of the UK. The website provides very useful access to the maps, you may find this search for material on Cirencester helpful. The map at the top of this article shows details even inside the Parish Church, and buildings in the West Market Place that were demolished many years ago.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has short articles on Cirencester and Corinium. Both form good introductions to the history of the town and provide useful references.

And finally…

Leave a comment with details of anything you think I should add, I’ll check out suggestions and update this article accordingly. Thanks!

I’ll just mention in passing that I’ve been posting monthly notes on my own, personal history. My friends and family enjoy reading it, but it’s not private. If you feel inclined, take a look at the index. Cirencester gets a mention here and there as I lived in the town as a child and came back in retirement.

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome!