The Franciscan house of Greyfriars was founded in 1231 on land granted to the church by Lord Berkeley. It was one of three Gloucester monasteries supported by Henry III.

By 1285 the priory was home to the forty begging friars – religious men who had all taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience – that were locked into a series of disputes with the monks of St Peter’s. This culminated in a quarrel over their shared water supply in the 14th century which had to be settled by Edward the Black Prince. The Franciscans won.

In 1518 the church was rebuilt in its present form, again with the help of the Berkeley family. The priory’s layout is of particular architectural interest due to the fact its nave and north aisle are of almost equal height and width, the only example of this in this country.

The remains of the priory can still be seen in Gloucester city centre today.

The Greyfriars Priory, Gloucester appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Gloucester!

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