Gloucester Cathedral

The Norman nave of about 1100 still stands, but the east end was rebuilt in the 1330s and 1340s in a new manner, thin stone tracery laid like a grid over older walls, that became the Perpendicular style and spread across England from here. The money came from pilgrims to the tomb of Edward II, murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle in 1327 and buried here when other houses refused him; the alabaster effigy is still in place. The east window, glazed around 1350, is roughly the size of a tennis court and was the largest in the world when made. The fan-vaulted cloister of the 1350s is the earliest surviving fan vault anywhere, and its lavatorium and corridors were used as Hogwarts in several Harry Potter films.

What you actually see

• The fan-vaulted cloister - the earliest fan vaulting in existence, from the 1350s.
• The east window - roughly tennis-court sized, glazed around 1350.
• Edward II's tomb - the alabaster effigy that funded the rebuilding.
• The Norman nave - massive round columns from about 1100 under later work.

When to go

Year-round; the cathedral is free to enter and open daily around services. The Three Choirs Festival rotates here every third year. Tower tours run on limited days and book out.

Honest expectations

The cloister is popular with film tourists and can be crowded and noisy for what is still a monastic space. Services close sections without much notice. The tower climb is 269 steps on a tight spiral.

Nearby

The Gloucester docks are a short walk; the Forest of Dean and Cotswolds lie either side.