Dursley: a market town below the Cotswold escarpment
Dursley is a market town and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire. Its built-up area had 7,935 residents at the 2021 census. The town lies between Bristol and Gloucester, next to the village of Cam. It sits under the north-east flank of Stinchcombe Hill, about 4 miles south-east of the River Severn.
The town stands on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, where the hills drop towards the Severn Vale. Its main stream is the River Ewelme, which becomes the River Cam once it enters Cam. Woodland and countryside surround the town. In addition, the Cotswold Way passes right through the town centre.
A long history
The name Dursley comes from Old English, meaning Deorsige’s wood or clearing. Nearby, Uley Bury is an Iron Age hill fort from around 300 BC. Roger de Berkeley built a castle at Dursley in 1153. The town then held borough status from 1471 until 1886.
The parish church of St James the Great dates from the 13th century and is grade I listed. However, its first spire collapsed in January 1699 during a bell-ringing session. Thomas Sumsion of Colerne then built the present bell tower in 1708 and 1709. Meanwhile, the Town Hall, with its statue of Queen Anne and bell turret, dates from 1738.
Engines and the Lister works
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Dursley became a large manufacturing town. For example, engines from the Lister company, founded in 1867, went all around the world. Its successor, Lister Petter, stayed in the town until 2014.
Much of the old 92-acre factory site passed to Stroud District Council in 2011. Now, it is becoming a large housing development with some industrial units. The Towers, a large gothic-style house from the Lister estate, still overlooks the town. Today, it holds flats and a residential care home.
Anyone in one of those flats can read our guide on air conditioning in a flat for what differs from a house.
Markets and the town centre
Markets still take place in the Market Place at the centre of town. In particular, a farmers’ market runs on the second Saturday of each month. A craft market follows on the fourth Saturday. The centre also has a number of independent shops and cafes.
What an installation here tends to involve
In the older streets near the centre, siting the outdoor unit is usually the first question. Since space around older buildings can be tight, it helps to describe the route to the back of the property. A rear or side wall often works better than the front elevation. The installer will confirm the best spot at the survey.
On the former Lister site, homes are much newer, so the layout is usually simpler to plan. Because the town sits on the edge of the escarpment, a sloping garden is worth mentioning. It can affect where the unit sits. Whatever the property, only an F-Gas certified engineer may legally handle refrigerant.
Getting there from Gloucester
Dursley is about 15.9 miles by road from Gloucester, around 25 minutes’ drive. In a straight line, the gap is about 13.6 miles. The nearest railway station is Cam and Dursley, which opened in 1994 on the Bristol to Gloucester line.
Cam sits right next to the town, and air conditioning installation in Cam has its own page. Similarly, our Wotton-under-Edge installation page and our Stonehouse installation page cover the surrounding area.
Getting matched in Dursley
Send one enquiry and we match your address with one pre-qualified installer who works here. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Send your details through the contact form. Mention if the home is near the centre, on the Lister site or on a sloping plot. You can also read how installation typically works if you want the background first. The cost guide for a new system is worth a look too.