Cirencester Reviews

Living in Cirencester

The Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester is perfectly placed in the idyllic Cotswolds. If you hadn’t quite decided yet whether or not you like the Great Outdoors yet (and given that this is an agricultural college you’re applying to, we assume you do) the rolling hills of the Cotswolds can easily convince you that it’s all much more manageable than you imagined.

Cirencester is a town with a lot of character, and still hangs on to its older features as well as embracing the new. You can see this on the high street, where there’s a good mix of chain and independent shops in both old and new buildings. Many of these offer student discounts so remember to carry your ID card when you go shopping. Cirencester isn’t really a clubbing town but there are enough bars and pubs around to keep you busy, and with good links to neighbouring towns like Swindon and Gloucester you don’t have to miss out on the club scene.

As you’d expect, Cirencester is big on the outdoors, which for most people means sport. There’s rugby and cricket clubs in the area, as well as the ‘Centurions’ football club. The Cotswold Leisure Centre recently got a refurb, and now sports (sports! See what we did there?) a gym, swimming pool and multi-sport halls. For those that need a slightly speedier pastime to support, the Cirencester Park Polo Club is just down the road. Princes William and Harry like to playing here, so you might even see a famous face. Or, for a change of pace, you could check out the Cirencester Car Club, one of the oldest car clubs in the country.

There’s a cinema in the town, but The Brewery Arts Centre is arguably more interesting. As well as showing all the big blockbuster films that multiscreens will, it also puts on niche and independant films, theatre, art exhibitions, comedy nights and dance shows. As if that wasn’t enough there are also themed events and mini festivals. And they sell food. if you wanted to live there we’d completely understand.

In the town

• Corinium Museum - Cirencester has a lot of Roman history behind it, which you can see close up in the museum. It’s pretty interactive, and also has a gallery of regularly rotating exhibits.
• Sundial Theatre: This local theatre hosts drama from professional touring companies, musical acts, and some of the best popular comedians on the circuit.
• Abbey ruins: The old Abbey was destroyed by Henry VIII (you know, the fat one with all the wives) but the ruins are still fascinating to explore.

Further afield

• Bus: A free shuttle bus runs between the campus and town during term times, although it’s only a mile between the two and you could walk it easily if you wanted to.
• Taxi: Cirencester Radio Cars
• Train: The nearest rail station is in the village of Kemble. From there you can get to Swindon in 15mins, or to Gloucester in 40mins.