Dursley in Gloucestershire is a small market town which is surrounded by the lovely Cotswold Edge and Severn Vale countryside. We visited the town with my cousin who lives nearby.
In the centre is the 18th century market house complete with a statue of Queen Anne. There are many independent shops amid the picturesque old buildings. There is a small Heritage Centre with displays, artefacts and photographs of local history. For example, the town has an ancient spring called Broadwell, which gave the town its Saxon name Dur (hard) and Ley (water), The Ewelme Stream powered the woollen mills, the pin making and the engineering component work. The town has a proud industrial heritage being the home of the Mikael Pederson bicycle and the Lister-Petter engines. These are depicted in the fine mosaic which is inside St James the Great Church. There has been a church on this site in the heart of the town for 800 years and down the ages many restorations have been made. We had a good look around the church during our visit to Dursley.
The second Saturday of every month is the Farmer’s Market, so the town is worth a pit stop if travelling between Gloucester and Bristol.