Cirencester
Cirencester (/ˈsaɪrənsɛstər/ ⓘ, occasionally /ˈsɪstər/ ⓘ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 80 miles (130 km) west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the eighth largest settlement in Gloucestershire and the largest town within the Cotswolds. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world, founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021.
| Cirencester | |
|---|---|
| Market town | |
Cirencester Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 20,229 (2021 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SP022021 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CIRENCESTER |
| Postcode district | GL7 |
| Dialling code | 01285 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Town Council |
The Roman name for the town was Corinium, which is thought to have been associated with the ancient British tribe of the Dobunni, having the same root word as the River Churn. The earliest known reference to the town was by Ptolemy in AD 150. The town's Corinium Museum has an extensive Roman collection.
Cirencester is twinned with the town of Itzehoe, in the Steinburg region of Germany.