Frocester is a village and civil parish in Stroud District, Gloucestershire, England. It lies below the Cotswold escarpment, 10 miles south of Gloucester and 4 miles west of Stroud. the parish has a population of less than two hundred.
Frocester was the site of a Roman settlement, on a Roman road which ran from Cirencester to Arlingham. The remains of a Roman villa have been excavated in the grounds of Frocester Court and another near the remains of St Peter’s Church. The name of the village, first recorded in the Domesday Book as Frowecestre, means Roman town on the Frome, although the River Frome is just beyond the present northern boundary of the parish.
In 1726 the line of the Roman road became a turnpike road, and formed part of the coaching route between Gloucester and Bath. Use of the road declined in the 19th century, and it is now a minor road.
Between 1844 and 1961, Frocester had a railway station on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, later the Midland Railway.
The village is enlivened by the long established and successful Frocester Cricket Club where the recreation ground and children’s playground is also situated. The clubhouse is also used for other village functions including the Women’s Institute meetings, Parish Council meetings, skittles and the annual produce show.
The club has two grounds in Frocester and manages to organise five successful teams.
The annual Frocester Beer Festival is run at the cricket club’s ground. The Frocester Beer Festival is an all-ticket event taking place every August bank holiday weekend and the 2015 Festival was the 36th year it has been held. Over those years this event has proved to be a highlight in many people’s calendar, and has been a very successful way for us to raise further money for charity.