Tewkesbury is an ancient town in the west of England along the River Avon. Marketing material promotes its 400+ listed buildings and 90 alleyways, sounds like a heaven for history and architecture buffs. My first impression (that's always the most important) was quite the opposite. Sure enough the main street was lined with a lot of tudor buildings, but many of them had modern shop fronts and it looked quite a mess. It just wasn't worth taking any photos.
Riverside
I turned down one of the 90+ alleyways in town towards the River Severn, and it was so much nicer here!! Traditionally Tewkesbury was a milling town, using the water from the river to power the mills. Although the industry no longer exists, the old mills can still be seen on the riverside. This is Healing Mills, when built it was considered to be the largest and most modern flour mill in the world, producing 25 sacks of flour an hour in 1892. Source I wouldn't be surprised if these are converted to flats in a few years time. It has a gorgeous view and is only a couple of minutes away from the main street.
Tewkesbury Abbey
No visit to a historic English town would be complete without a visit to its local church, abbey or cathedral. Tewkesbury Abbey dates back to the 12th century and is considered to be one of the country's finest Norman towers. Source
I was fortunate enough to have the abbey pretty much to myself on my visit. Upon entrance, seven massive pillars line each side of the nave. Light shone through a massive stained glass window at one end of the abbey reflecting up the vault ceiling, it was truly impressive.
Local history and significant events are often built into religious establishments. The War of Roses in the 15th century was an important period in English history when two royal houses fought for the throne over four decades. It is said that even the Game of Thrones was inspired by the War of Roses. The decisive battle was fought in Tewkesbury in May 1471 when and House of York finally gained control of the English Throne. So important was this win for England and particularly Tewkesbury, that the Abbey's ceiling is decorated with the House of York's emblem .
My favorite piece of artefact in the Abbey is called Our Lady, The Queen of Peace. It's a statue made of metal moulded into Mary. Although I'm not relgious, I think this is a really sophisticated piece of art which shows Mary in a modern dimension.
Alleyways
Remember I said earlier on that Tewkesbury has over 90 alleyways? One of the most famous alleyway is probably this one.
It leads to the Old Baptist Chapel and the burial ground, an important place for the Baptist community back in those days. The buildings date back to the 15th century and the earliest burial is in 1689.
One of the most famous burial is William Shakespeare Hart, the fifth great grandnephew of THE William Shakespeare. The Hart family's ancestor was William Shakespeare's sister, she married a Hart. That's his grave there, second to the right.
Jelly Roll Cafe
And finally, to round off my day in Tewkesbury, I had to stop by for tea and scones before I left town. Jelly Roll Cafe is located inside one of those beautiful tudor buildings. You can see the old beams inside. I just wished all the shops kept its original character like this.
Yum!!!
