The origins of this nursery rhyme reputedly date back to the 13th century when King Edward I (Doctor Foster) was thought to have visited Gloucester and fell from his horse into a large, muddy puddle. He is said to have been so humiliated by this experience that he refused to visit Gloucester again. The city was to remain athorn in the side of the monarchy, as the citizens held off the King's army in a lengthy siege during the Civil War that bought Cromwell the time he needed. It was arguably Gloucester's finesT hour.
The city's independence can be traced back to the days when itinerants used to stop there on their way to Wales and as a passageway it was to make an even stronger mark in the 19th century when docks were opened for tall ships from around Europe engaged in trade and a route to the industrial Midlands. The key to this trade was the building of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which began in 1794. Although not completed until 1827, it was the broadest and deepest canal in the world, offering moorings for ships laden with timber from Canada and Russia, wood from the Baltic, corn from Ireland and the Mediterranean and wine and fruit from Portugal. By then, of course, the canals were literally being overtaken by the railways,but the docks continued to operate well into the 20th century and only closed in the 1980s. Gloucester Docks have been transformed into a major conservation area and the dock warehouses are all listed buildings. Among them is Llanthony Warehouse, the largest and last of the big warehouses to be built. It is now home of the National Waterways Museum and, as the picture shows, beneath the grime of the Industrial Revolution, the building has a grandeur of its own. The museum represents an important factor in British history-the canals-and British Waterways are to be commended for having the determination to realise the project. Over four floors, visitors are taken through the history of canal building, the ingenuity of the engineers, the scale of the enterprise, and the toil and hardship experienced by the navvies and their wives and children, some as young as eight. You are taken through a replica lock chamber, complete with running water- a familiar experience for anyone who has navigated a narrowboat. Among the exhibits are examples of the corn traded in this very warehouse and the machinery used, while videos help give a taste of what it was like to live and work on the waterways. We took part in the canal company game - take shares in a company and see your money grow or disappear. It was a fun but informative way of realising just how quickly, and haphazardly, Britain was transformed at the end of the 18th century. It would have been surprising indeed if the museum did not possess a historic boat collection, and as well as narrowboats, including one made of concrete, there are the delight for river barges, tungs, and a steam-powered dredger. There is also a steam crane and heavy oil engine in the setting of a canal repair yard, complete with working machine Shop, forge and weighbridge. When we visited, just before Christmas, it was very quiet, so although we almost had the museum to ourselves, it was not difficult to imagine the laughter and excitement of children that this friendly, and award-winning, attraction would create.
You can see a blacksmith at work or one of the volunteer teams carrying out restoration. Throughout the year, experts run courses for groups of all ages on a number of crafts, and a particular attraction for the canal boat fraternity is a gallery filled with 'Roses & Castles', the folk art of the boatman. Though it was sunny, but cold, we didn't have time to take advantage of the canal and river trips on the boats Queen Boadicea II and King Arthur. Our relaxation was to drink a coffee at the Waterways Cafe - yes, it did overlook the water - and take in the atmosphere of this splendid monument to the Industrial Revolution. One word of warning if you are visiting by car. The entrances to the docks are not that straightforward to find. There is a car park, which has an all-day flat fee of £l-20 on Sundays, and there are spaces for disabled drivers. The alternative is the park-and-ride service, which does go to the docks. We could not complete our visit to Gloucester without seeing the great cathedral. Started in 1089, this is one of Europe's architectural glories.
The glazed cloisters with the famous early fan vaulting are breathtaKIng, as are the ~Norman nave with its massive columns and the examples of both Romanesque and early perpendicular styles. The winter sun was shining through the magnificent medieval glass of the Great East Window, and the ornate tombs of the murdered Edward II, and Robert Duke of Normandy, as well as the monks' lavatorium are part of the cathedral treasures. Children will no doubt be interested to learn that it is also one of the locations of Hogwarts School in the film versions of the Harry Potter stories. It is good that this stunning building and its tranquil surroundings are one of the few sights to escape the horrors of modern Gloucester, with town planners in the 1960s and 70s having run amok among some of the medieval streets. Perhaps they were the descendants of Edward I and Charles I seeking revenge on the city.
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