United Kingdom · England · Gloucester
High Orchard, Gloucester — Area Guide & Where to Stay
High Orchard is a former industrial quarter of Gloucester, built on the orchard of the Priory of Llanthony Secunda beside Gloucester Docks.
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Where to stay in High Orchard
Where visitors usually base themselves, and why.
High Orchard sits within walking distance of Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester Waterways Museum, which makes the quarter a workable base for anyone coming for the canal rather than the older core of Gloucester. Blackfriars marks the other end. Museum of Gloucester and St Mary de Crypt Church lie on the city side, and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal gives the quarter its line of water.
You want High Orchard for the Waterways Museum, Blackfriars and the Spa Ground within a short walk of the docks.
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High Orchard
The quarter grew on the Priory of Llanthony Secunda's orchard and worked for Fielding & Platt's Atlas Works, with Blackfriars and the Spa Ground at its edges.Find hotels in High Orcharda base by the Museum of Gloucester and St Mary de Crypt ChurchGloucester
The city keeps Gloucester Castle, Ladybellegate House and the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum within reach of High Orchard's canal frontage.Find hotels in GloucesterHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Gloucester
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Gloucester Waterways Museum
- Museum of Gloucester
- Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
6- St Mary de Crypt Church Heritage
- Blackfriars Heritage
- Church of St Swithun Heritage
- Christ Church Heritage
- Grey Friars' Church Heritage
Show 1 more →
- Whitefield Memorial Presbyterian Church Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Glevum Heritage
- Remains of Roman wall Heritage
Stadiums & Sports
1- Spa Ground
Landmarks & Notable Places
8- Ladybellegate House Heritage
- Winston Hall Heritage
- Albion House Heritage
- Old Custom House Heritage
- Hempsted House Heritage
Show 3 more →
- Maitland House Heritage
- Norfolk House Heritage
- Sherborne House Heritage
worth knowingacross 5 categories in and around Gloucester
About High Orchard
What are the main landmarks in High Orchard?
Glevum underlies everything here, and the Remains of Roman wall, Gloucester Castle and Kyneburgh Tower carry the oldest layers of the record around High Orchard. Churches crowd the list. St Mary de Crypt Church, Blackfriars, Grey Friars' Church and the Church of St Swithun stand among them, with St Owen's Church, Christ Church and the Church of St Luke close behind.
Museums take the rest. The Gloucester Waterways Museum, the Museum of Gloucester and the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum all sit within the quarter, and the Spa Ground supplies its one open ground.
What is the history of High Orchard?
High Orchard was laid out in the nineteenth century on the former orchard of the Priory of Llanthony Secunda, founded in 1136, and it became one of Gloucester's industrial quarters. Gloucester Docks lay immediately to the north. The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and the railway carried the traffic, and Fielding & Platt's Atlas Works stood here with a number of other significant local employers.
Older ground shows through. Glevum's Remains of Roman wall and Gloucester Castle predate the works, while Ladybellegate House, Sherborne House, Albion House and Winston Hall carry the built record of the streets around them.
Where is High Orchard?
Gloucester Docks stand immediately to the north of High Orchard, which the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and the railway once served together.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in High Orchard?
High Orchard: canal days spent at Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester Waterways Museum. Gloucester: a base by the Museum of Gloucester and St Mary de Crypt Church.
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Updated October 2026