Gloucester Cathedral and its towerGloucester Cathedral
- Best time
- Weekday mornings, when the cloisters are quietest
- Getting there
- About 10 minutes on foot from Gloucester station
Why it’s in the log
Gloucester's cloisters were built between 1351 and 1377, and they have the earliest surviving fan vaults in England: stone ribs spreading across the ceiling like open fans. They were used as Hogwarts corridors in Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince.
The rest of the building is older than any film set could make it look. It was an abbey before it became a cathedral in 1541. William the Conqueror held his Christmas court here in 1085, when the Domesday survey was ordered, and Edward II is buried here.
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