Welcome to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Heritage Trust
We aim to bring Gloucestershire Cricket Club’s history to life
The Founding of Gloucestershire Cricket Club
WG Grace’s father, Dr Henry Mills Grace was responsible for the early days of GCCC when he founded Mangotsfield Cricket club. This later amalgamated with Coalpit Heath CC to become West Gloucestershire CC. At the same time there was a club in the north of the county, The Cheltenham and County of Gloucester Cricket Club. These two clubs then amalgamated and Henry eventually achieved his ambition on 2nd June 1870 when Gloucestershire CCC played their first County match against Surrey on Durdham Downs. WG played and led by his older brother EM, Gloucestershire won by 51 runs.
In 1884 Henry Mills Grace launched a proposal to lease some land in Eastville for a County Ground. The land is now home to Ikea and Tesco stores and previously Bristol Rovers FC. These plans were dropped in 1887.
In 1888 negotiations began to purchase some land at Ashley Down and a year later the Ground became home to GCCC. The first game at the Nevil Road ground was on 1st July 1889 against Lancashire. In the same year the County established their Club’s colours of Fawn, Brown, Pale Grey, Dark Green, Red and Navy Blue.
About Us
We are an independent charity established in 2014, created to advance education for the community in their local First Class cricket club and engage the public in the history and heritage of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. Through the creation of the Museum and Learning Centre we aim to engage new audiences in the players and its achievements throughout the clubs 150 year history. We welcome school and community groups and enthusiasts alike to enjoy the collection of memorabilia, equipment and information we have on show.
The aims of the Trust are to:
- Raise funds to develop and run the museum and learning centre (known as the MLC)
- Offer an educational and community resource
- Preserve and manage Gloucestershire Cricket’s rich history and heritage
- Develop the Club’s future heritage by highlighting current achievements, events and players, and collecting relevant artefacts
The Trust and its work is funded by voluntary contributions and everything it does is carried out by volunteers.
Trustees: Wendy Body, Acting Chair and Secretary; Roger Gibbons, Archivist and Treasurer; Paul Uttley
Committee: The Trustees plus David McLauchlan, Tracy Sansom
Find out more about the Museum and Learning Centre
Discover our blog, past players and our upcoming events