Things you didn't know about... Gloucestershire

Each year, people from all over the world come to Gloucestershire for the famous cheese-rolling contest. A Double Gloucester is rolled from the top of Cooper's Hill, and competitors race after it. The theory is they must catch the cheese to win it, but since it can reach speeds of 70 mph—enough to knock over and injure a spectator as it once did—this rarely happens.

Gardeners throughout the world have reason to be thankful to Gloucestershire—the lawnmower was invented and first demonstrated in Stroud in 1830 by local Edwin Budding.

It's not known for its mountains or heavy snowfall and fondues are few and far between, but Gloucestershire gave the UK its only national skiing hero. Britain's first (and ill-fated) Olympic ski jumper, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, was born in Gloucestershire—Cheltenham to be precise.

Homegrown spoof cop/buddy flick Hot Fuzz, starring Simon Pegg, was set in the fictional Gloucestershire town of Sandford.

You can be sure of a warm welcome in Gloucestershire. Tourism here brings in over £700 million each year—and provides one in nine of the county's jobs.

Gloucestershire is home to several royal residences, including Highgrove House, home to Prince Charles, and Princess Anne's stately home, Gatcombe Park.

Not all kings and queens had their coronation at Westminster Abbey. In 1216 Henry III was crowned King at Gloucester Cathedral as Westminster was deemed unsafe due to civil strife in England. He was nine years old.

Gloucestershire is home to the Cheltenham Literary Festival, an annual shindig that, founded in 1949, claims to be the world's first literary festival. Speakers have included luminaries such as poet Seamus Heaney, Bill Clinton and Helen Mirren.

Actress, model, and professional paparazzi target Liz Hurley held the first in her marathon series of wedding ceremonies that made up her marriage to Arun Nayar in the medieval chapel of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.