Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend has been hailed as a huge success.

Blackfriars Priory was packed to the rafters for three days of fascinating talks from a wide range of speakers.

Festival president Professor Janina Ramirez said: "I cannot get over how this has been with the emotions that have been running through Blackfriars. 

"When you think that the oak ceiling in the room is 700 years old and there have been public tasks all through the centuries, the ones we've heard in the last couple of days have got to be some of the most electric that have ever taken place.

"We've had Jeremy Bowen, so moving, literally flying back from Jerusalem to talk to us. We've had Chris Packham setting the world to rights and inspiring us about the natural world. All in all as a weekend it's been the best Gloucester History Festival there's ever been."

Looking ahead to the main Gloucester History Festival in September, Janina said she couldn't say too much about the programme because it was still under wraps.

However, she said: "We've been beavering away since last September scooping up people who want to come and talk at the festival. For the last eight years I've been begging people to come but now they are queuing up, the biggest names in the world, to come and talk here.

"The big difference is for the first time ever we are going fully online with streaming which means that wherever you are in the world you can also be with us here at Blackfriars soaking up that history.

"Until you come here you won't appreciate what it is. It is the UK's jewel. I can't think of another place, and I'm a historian, where you can walk down a street and see Roman baths, Georgian architecture, industrial buildings and look at some of the finest timber-framed standing medieval houses.

"It's teeming with history which isn't curated, it's not over-advertised and polished up for tourists, it's raw real history and it's what gives this incredible city its beating heart.

Mark Owen, editor of Punchline-Gloucester.com, said: "Congratulations to all the team behind the history festival. It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most prestigious events that takes place in the city. It puts Gloucester firmly on the historical map and the economic impact is huge.

"You have people travelling from all over the world to come to the festival. Every single visiting speaker I've spoken to says how amazing Gloucester is. If only more of the local residents would appreciate it."

For more information on the Autumn History Festival, visit gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk