The pretty UK town loved by the Royals that was capital of England 700 years before London

Known these days as 'the Capital of the Cotswolds', this gorgeous town is close to several royal homes and estates, including King Charles' beloved Highgrove and Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park. Zara and Mike Tindall regularly pop into the town with their three children as they live close by on the Gatcombe Park estate and Queen Camilla's former country home was also in the vicinity.

Princess Beatrice recently moved to the area, too, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, her stepson, and two young daughters. But long before it was the capital of the Cotswolds and a beacon to royals and celebrities looking for an idyllic town in the country, this town was a capital in the Iron Ages back in the 4th Century AD.

This town with charming cobblestone streets boasts a myriad of historic jewels, from its gothic church of St John the Baptist to its Roman amphitheater (open all day; free of charge), built in the second century or just wander around its historic Market Place before siping a pint at the 15th-century Black Horse-the oldest pub in town.

We are talking about the gorgeous market town of Cirencester. The Dobunni, one of the Iron Age tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman conquest of Britain, had Cirencester as their capital. Later, in the 4th century, Roman Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum became the administrative capital for a much larger province, Britannia Prima, and was the second-largest town in Roman Britain.

Today, Cirencester is an attractive, bustling market town steeped in history. After the Romans it enjoyed a very prosperous time as a medieval wool town at the heart of the woollen trade. Its marketplace was and still is dominated by the Parish Church of St John Baptist, a gothic marvel, originally built in the 12th Century but extended and embellished over more than three centuries, culminating in a complete rebuilding of the nave in the 16th Century.

Excavations have shown the presence of wide colonnaded streets in Cirencester, imposing public buildings including the second largest Amphitheatre in the country, and richly furnished private houses, many decorated with fine mosaics, all pointing to its importance as an historic capital.

Cirencester Abbey, the largest of five Augustinian houses in the country, was founded by Henry 1 in 1117. Following half a century of building work St. Mary's Abbey was finally dedicated in 1176. The Abbey dominated town life until 1539 and the dissolution of the monasteries, when Henry VIII ordered its demolition.

You can discover plenty about Cirencester's Roman past at theCorinium Museum (Park Street; 01285 655611; coriniummuseum.org. The collection of Roman mosaics is spectacular.

If shopping is more your thing the town's market is a must. Cirencester's Charter Markets are some of the oldest in the country and were mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Today the Charter Markets take place on Mondays (10am to 3pm) and Fridays 9am to 3pm) in front of St John Baptist Church. You can pick up anything from fresh produce, bread, cakes, plants, homeware and gifts.

A farmer's market is held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month from 9am to 2.30pm and there is an arts and crafts market on the first Saturday of the month from 9am to 5pm. Corn Hall hosts an indoor market from Sunday to Thursday with antiques and collectables on Friday.

Situated on the picturesque River Churn there are plenty of outdoor spaces to explore close by including Cirencester Park, the seat of the Bathurst family for the past 300 years and boasts 3000 acres of woodland and pasture. There are also the Abbey Grounds to explore and surrounding Cotswolds countryside.

The town also boasts an abundance of independent shops, cafes and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Visit eatcotswolds.co.uk/cirencester for more information.