Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin
© David James (view gallery)
Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman abbey was near completion when consecrated in 1121. Embellishments to the long nave roof and the apsidal chancel were made in the first half of the 14th century in the Decorated style. After the dissolution in 1540, the Abbey Church was sold to the parishioners for £453. The architectural historian Pevsner considered that the abbey has Image cannot be loaded
" >A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Ye Olde Black Bear Inn. Tewkesbury has some amazing ancient buildings, including this one, Ye Olde Black Bear - The oldest Inn in Gloucester! Image cannot be loaded
The Flour Mill in Tewkesbury
© David Reynolds (view gallery)
Ships would travel up the River Severn to collect flour from the mill on the left hand side. The mill is still in use, but the flour is now mainly collected by lorries. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
This picture depicts the streets of Tewkesbury well, with old timber-framed buildings, and red brick buildings mixed together, and the high Norman tower of the Abbey being the main focal point. Tewkesbury Abbey is a place on it's own that justifies a visit to Tewkesbury. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Looking down Church street. On the left of this picture is one of Tewkesbury's famous ancient buildings - The Old Hat Shop. Image cannot be loaded
Abbey Mill
© Victor Naumenko (view gallery)
There has been a mill on this site since around 1190. In monastic times, it was the principal mill for Tewkesbury Abbey from which it gets its name. The mill was rebuilt in 1793 and, at that time, had four wheels which powered the millstones. Although enlarged in the mid nineteenth century, Abbey Mill declined, following the construction of Healing’s Flour Mill at the northern end of the Ham, and eventually ceased operation as a mill in 1921, when it became a restaurant. In 2005 it was converted into a private residence. The white building was designed to be in keeping with the architectural style of the existing buildings and the overall setting. The mill is sometimes referred to as “Fletcher’s Mill”. Abel Fletcher was a Quaker miller who was immortalised in Mrs Craik’s nineteenth century novel “John Halifax – Gentleman”. It is regarded as a fine specimen of the “mellow brick” mill architecture and has been designated as a Grade II listed building. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
A beautiful setting along the back streets of Tewkesbury. The river is the River Avon, the smaller of the two local rivers. The Avon flows along the back of the town allowing just a short walk from the shops to a relaxing walk along the river. Image cannot be loaded
Tewkesbury Abbey
© Dave Kemp (view gallery)
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury, (commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey), in the English county of Gloucestershire, is the second largest parish church in the country and a former Benedictine monastery. It is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain and has probably the largest Romanesque crossing tower in Europe. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Walking down Church street. On the left of this picture is Tewkesbury's main bus stop, with the lion gates of Tewkesbury Abbey to the right of that. On the left of the picture is the gable end of the ancient Abbey Cottages that hold a couple of Tewkesbury's interesting museums. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
The Abbey Cottages
The Abbey Cottages are a continuous terrace of small timber-framed buildings dating back to the late 15th or early 16th century. They are believed to have been built by and for the monks of the abbey. This beautiful row of cottages houses the John Moore Countryside Museum. John Moore was a local author of books on the area and also a broadcaster. A few doors along you will find another museum which is called the 'Little Museum'. This museum is a restored merchant's house, retaining many of it's medieval features. Image cannot be loaded
Floods in Tewkesbury 2007
© Terri Walton (view gallery)
The floods in Tewkesbury, a market town which was one of the worst hit during the floods of July 2007, turning the town into an island. This is looking down Church Street towards the town center. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Lily's Alley
Another main feature to Tewkesbury that adds much character to the town is its amazing amount of ancient alleyways to explore. Tewkesbury's main streets are full of alleyways for you to walk down and explore, these alleyways being one of the unique features that has made tewkesbury so famous and adds much character to this already charming town. Stepping into one of these dark narrow alleys really is like stepping back in time, and as you slowly walk through you can really begin to imagine how life must have been back in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the conditions that people lived in. All in all there are roughly 30 alleyways remaining intact today, but originally there were thought to have been around 90 of them, most being lost to decay or renovation of the land around. Tewkesbury's alleys mainly started to appear during the 17th century due to the increased pressure for housing and due to the land shortage around the town because of the floodplains and rivers making land unsuitable to build on. The only way to expand was to build behind the main towns existing properties, or add more storeys to existing ones, and alleyways were how these new properties/storeys were reached.
As the alleys were only built just wide enough for a man to pass on foot, many alleys were so narrow that some of the buildings along them almost touched at the eaves above. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
The Ancient Grudge
The ancient grudge was built in 1471, the year of the great Battle of Tewkesbury. This is where the building lends it's name, with the ancient 'grudge' reffering to the enmity between the houses of York and Lancaster who were the two sides who fought during the battle. The building was refronted during the late 16th century. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Fish Alley
The alleyways also acted as drains and rubbish dumps and due to the narrowness of them causing lack of light, most of the alleys became dim and damp disease ridden places, and during the 19th century their conditions reached an all time filthy low and Diptheria and Cholera were rife. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Ye olde Hatte Shoppe
The Beadles hat sign you can see just above the center of the window, is an early 19th century trade sign that was frequently used because the majority of folk could not read. Thus, the sign let everyone know that the shop sold hats! Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
The Wheatsheaf
Built around 1500, the Wheatsheaf was once an important Inn and was used as one until 1956. It is now an Antiques shop. The shape of the building is reminiscent to the stern of a ship. Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Ye Olde Black Bear
This charming pub is reputedly Gloucesters oldest Inn! - dating from the late 12th Century. It has a continous history as a hostelry, at one time providing stabling for travellers horses. Shakespeare is said to have performed here with a travelling troupe. Image cannot be loaded
Tewkesbury floods July 2007
© Terri Walton (view gallery)
The floods in Tewkesbury, a market town which was one of the worst hit during the floods of July 2007 turning the town into an island only accessible by boat. This is looking down Church Street near the town center Image cannot be loaded
A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
The Cross House
The Cross House, as you can see, is an absolutely gorgeous 15th Century building. It has a magnificent entrance hall and Elizabethan panelled rooms and a stunning staircase. It is believed to have been at one time the Court House of the Lords of Tewkesbury. Unfortunately the original ground floor windows have been removed, they now exist in the ground floor of The Bull - the extension to the royal hop pole hotel. The cross house is one of the finest timber-framed buildings in tewkesbury. Image cannot be loaded
Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury: transept
© David James (view gallery)
Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman abbey was near completion when consecrated in 1121. Embellishments to the long nave roof and the apsidal chancel were made in the first half of the 14th century in the Decorated style. After the dissolution in 1540, the Abbey Church was sold to the parishioners for £453. The architectural historian Pevsner considered that the abbey has Image cannot be loaded
" >A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
Tewkesbury Town Hall
Built in 1788 the town hall is one of the few buildings in Tewkesbury that is built of stone. The towns corn market was held here in the late 18th century. Image cannot be loaded
Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury: the rood screen
© David James (view gallery)
Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman abbey was near completion when consecrated in 1121. Embellishments to the long nave roof and the apsidal chancel were made in the first half of the 14th century in the Decorated style. After the dissolution in 1540, the Abbey Church was sold to the parishioners for £453. The architectural historian Pevsner considered that the abbey has Image cannot be loaded
" >A picture of Tewkesbury
© poe (view gallery)
The Nodding Gables
(Also known as 'House of the Golden Key')
The top heavy look of this rather unique looking building was caused by a break in the ridgepeice many years ago which resulted in the top sliding forward. The building was heightened by one storey during the 17th Century. Stagecoaches used to stop at the Swan Inn opposite and the nodding gables building became the ticket office for the coaching lines. After the demise of stagecoaches it went through many retail uses. It was also used as an ironmongers shop at one time hence the 'Golden Key' which you can see on this picture dangling from the building. Image cannot be loaded