Gloucester
§ This page gives an overview of the Gloucester local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Gloucester, on the River Severn, is a historic cathedral city surrounded by countryside. The city centre features Gloucester Cathedral, with its medieval cloisters, and historic docks with converted warehouses now housing museums and leisure facilities. The River Severn and Sharpness Canal shape its geography, while nearby hills such as the Cotswolds rise to the east. Gloucester’s mix of Roman history, medieval heritage, and riverside regeneration defines its character.
The administrative boundary of Gloucester can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Gloucester.
Key Facts about Gloucester
What region is Gloucester in? Gloucester is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Gloucester in? Gloucester is located in the county of Gloucestershire.
Is Gloucester a city? Yes, Gloucester is a city. Gloucester holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Gloucester? The local authority for this district is: Gloucester City Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Gloucestershire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Gloucestershire County Council.
▶ Official website of Gloucester City Council 🔗 gloucester.gov.uk
Which police force covers Gloucester? Policing in Gloucester is provided by Gloucestershire Constabulary 🔗 gloucestershire.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cheltenham ⁞ Cotswold ⁞ Forest of Dean ⁞ Gloucester ⁞ Stroud ⁞ Tewkesbury.
Gloucester in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Gloucester is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, that contains the following 4 ITLs Level 3 areas:
(ITL 1) South West
(ITL 2) ⇒ West of England
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
(ITL 1) South West
(ITL 2) ⇒ Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Swindon ⁞ Wiltshire ⁞ Gloucestershire CC
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Gloucester
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Gloucester
Gloucester is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abbeydale
- Abbeymead
- Barnwood
- Barton and Tredworth
- Coney Hill
- Elmbridge
- Grange
- Hucclecote
- Kingsholm and Wotton
- Kingsway
- Longlevens
- Matson, Robinswood and White City
- Moreland
- Podsmead
- Quedgeley Fieldcourt
- Quedgeley Severn Vale
- Tuffley
- Westgate
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Gloucester
Gloucester is part-parished: 1 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Quedgeley
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Gloucester
Gloucester covers 5 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Churchdown *
- Gloucester *
- Longford *
- Quedgeley and Hardwicke *
- Whaddon (Stroud) *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Gloucester.)
Gloucester compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Gloucester compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Gloucester has 18 electoral wards.
Gloucester has a population of 138,598 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Gloucester can be found on the ONS statistics for Gloucester.