Gloucester

자료: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester

This article is about the city in England; for other uses see Gloucester (disambiguation).

Gloucester (pronounced /ˈɡlɒstɚ/,  listen (help·info)) is a city, district and county townof Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to theWelsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately 32 miles (51 km) north-east ofBristol, and 45 miles (72 km) south-southwest of Birmingham.

Gloucester was founded in AD 48 by the Romans as Glevum, and was granted its first charter in 1155 by King Henry II. Economically, the city is dominated by the service industries, and has a strong financial and business sector,^[1] being home to the bankCheltenham & Gloucester and historically was prominent in the aerospace industry.^[2]

Character

Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire, and is the 53^rd largest settlement in the UK by population.^[3] In 2001 the city proper had a population of 123,205. However the built-up area extends beyond the city boundary. The 2001 census gave the population of the whole "Gloucester Urban Area" as 136,203.

It is located on the eastern bank of the River Severn, 114 miles (183 km) west north west of London. It is sheltered by the Cotswoldsto the east, while the Forest of Dean and the Malvern Hills rise to the west and north, respectively.

Gloucester Docks

Gloucester is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal which runs from Gloucester's docks to the Severn Estuary, allowing larger ships to reach the docks than would be possible on the tidal reaches of the river itself. The wharfs, warehouses and the docks themselves fell into disrepair until their renovation in the 1980s. They now form a public open space. Some warehouses now house the National Waterways Museum, others were converted into luxury residential apartments, shops and bars. Additionally, the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum is located in the Custom House. The port still houses the most inland RNLI lifeboat in the UK

Modern notoriety

In 1991 Gloucester City Council worker Anna McGurk was murdered by a man whilst he was an inmate at a bail hostel in Ryecroft within the city. The murder led to changes in the law affecting those held on bail for serious offences.

The spring of 1994 saw the arrest of Fred West and his wife Rose West for the murder of 12 women and girls who went missing between 1967 and 1987 - including two of their daughters. Their home, 25 Cromwell Street, where the remains of many of the victims were buried, was later demolished and a public walkway laid in its place. To deter souvenir-hunters, the rubble was reduced to dust before disposal. One of the victims was found buried at a house in nearby Midland Road, which by then was occupied by a new resident, and is still lived in to this day.

In July 2007, Gloucester was hit badly by a flood that struck Gloucestershire and its surrounding areas. Hundreds of homes were flooded, but the event was most memorable because of its wider impact - about 40,000 people were without power for 24 hours, and the entire city (plus surrounding areas) was without piped water for 10–14 days.... (중략)