Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre

The 8,000-seat Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre was built from the first century to the second century. Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre would have drawn visitors from all over Roman Britain to its performances, which probably featured gladiatorial combat and exotic animal presentations. It is located in the important Roman city of Corinium, which is now known as Cirencester.

With a population of about 10,000, Corinium was the second-largest city in Roman Britain after Londinium (London). However, the once-thriving population quickly collapsed once the Romans left Britain in the fifth century. Without troops' salaries to support the local economy and without private donors to support amphitheatre public games, it quickly ceased to be a popular gathering place.

English Heritage currently oversees the Cirencester Roman Amphitheatre, which is accessible to the general public.
The former theatre's huge earthworks are still visible, providing an idea of its size—it was one of the largest in Britain—despite the fact that very little of its original building is still there.

It is oval shaped, with entrances on either end and previously had substantial banks supporting wooden benches atop drystone walls. One of the entrances was later altered to create two small apartments, one of which may have served as a shrine to Nemesis, as was typical of Roman amphitheatres like Chester Roman Amphitheatre.

Location: 1xw, 30 Cotswold Ave, Cirencester GL7 1XW, England