The origins of the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in the village of Brockworth, near Gloucester, England, may be lost in the mists of time, but the event nevertheless attracts thousands of spectators and participants from around the world.
The earliest record of the tradition dates to an 1826 message to the town crier, which implied that the event is far older, possibly dating back six centuries. No one knows exactly how, when, or why it started, but various theories suggest a connection to pagan fertility rites, claims over grazing rights, or testing the integrity of barrels.
Now held every year on England's late May bank holiday, there are multiple race categories, encouraging participation from men, women, and children (who are typically restricted to a separate uphill race). The men's and women's races involve chasing a nearly 8-pound (3.5-kg) wheel of Double Gloucester (a hard cheese in a wooden case decorated with ribbon) down Cooper’s Hill, which is roughly 200 yards (180 m) long.
The first person to reach the bottom, which often involves tumbling much of the way down the steep hill, is the winner. The hill has a 1:2 gradient, with an ever steeper incline at the initial drop. This causes many competitors to lose their footing, resulting in numerous injuries every year (concussions, broken collarbones, and twisted ankles are among the most common).
The 2025 men’s downhill was won by Tom Kopke, who also won the 2024 race. Ava Sender Logan was the 2025 women’s downhill winner.
Cheesed off:
- From 1941 until 1954, a wooden wheel was substituted because of food rationing in England. In 2013, a foam wheel was briefly instituted due to safety concerns, but the real cheese was brought back the following year.
- Cheese Rolling on Cooper’s Hill was immortalized in a 1948 painting by Charles March Gere that now hangs in the Museum of Gloucester. The event has also been depicted in films, television shows, comedy sketches, and a Royal Mail stamp issued in 2019.
- Since 1988, the cheese has been provided by local farmhouse cheesemaker Diana Smart, who died in 2021, and her son, Rod.
- In the case of the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, the word “wake” is used to describe an annual holiday or festival.
