Mystique around imaginary town that has inspired tribute parties to be shattered
It’s the moment that BPP law students have been waiting for.
The identity of fictional town Gladbury is to be unveiled — and chances are it’s actually High Wycombe.
Gladbury is the brainchild of staff at BPP University, who invented the town as an imaginary setting for problem questions for its Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) syllabuses.
Located in the made-up county of Gloomshire — appropriately named given all the legal disputes taking place — Gladbury fans can even visit the town’s website.
Students can keep up to date with the latest goings-ons in the town via the Gladbury Gazette, read up on the town’s premier night spot Jesters, and follow press releases from Gloomshire’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Gladbury has built up a cult following amongst BPP law students. Legal Cheek understands that last year students created re-enactments of the scenarios featuring Gladbury found in teaching materials, and that BPP has considered hosting a Gladbury-themed party where attendees dress up as notable characters from the town, though this did not go ahead.
A Facebook group called ‘Screw London, I’m off to Gladbury…’ was also set up for “those fed up of city life and who fancy packing their things and moving to the centre of the legal universe”. The group had 73 members, but has since been removed from Facebook.
But, after years of speculation about Gladbury’s origins, soon the mystery will all be over.
Last week, a competition was announced during a lecture asking students to guess the real-life town that Gladbury is based on, and its Latin motto’s correct translation.
Rumours are swelling about what the right answer is, and, according to one Legal Cheek insider, it’s High Wycombe (pictured below) in Buckinghamshire.
And what makes this enthusiast so sure? The population figures are the same, the road network is very similar, and information about the town, located on the website’s front page, reads remarkably like High Wycombe’s Wikipedia entry — it seems like a good bet to us.
The date of the big reveal is unknown — but Legal Cheek will keep readers updated. Think you know where Gladbury is? Let us know in the comments down below.