Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury, a town in Gloucestershire, is located on the River Severn where the river Avon joins it and where the locks and weirs along the route of the Avon allowed river traffic to reach the Severn.

Tewkesbury takes its name from Saxon times where a Saxon founded a hermitage in the seventh century. Theocsbury, as it would have been referred to, owes its very existence and prosperity to its nearby rivers.

Visitors to Tewkesbury will find several Tudor buildings including Gloucestershire's oldest public house, The Black Bear. Tewkesbury High Street is unique in its mix of old and new buildings and upon exploration there is plenty of interesting architecture to see.

This former market town has seen its fair share of historic battles and if towns could talk this would have plenty to tell. The Abbey Mill just off the High Street served as a centre for flour milling for centuries.

Tewkesbury is popular with tourists during the summer months and with easy access to the nearby M5 motorway it acts as a conduit for traffic taking scenic routes through the Gloucestershire countryside.

Tewkesbury plays host to a number of festivals. From February to October visitors can take part in a Winter Beer Festival, a Medieval Festival with real battle re-enactments and a fair, a water festival and the annual Mop Fair. For such a small town it has a significant events diary.

The Medieval Fair at Tewkesbury is Europe's largest free annual medieval battle re-enactment and fair. Thousands of dedicated battled hardened participants turn up for this.

The spectacular scenes and focus of all this attention is to re-create the Battle of Tewkesbury which took place in 1471

The Tewkesbury Abbey or The Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the second largest parish church in England and was a former Benedictine Monastery.

Tewkesbury's importance as a market town would have been made all the more obvious to visitors by such an impressive structure. It's origins go back to the monastery when the Abbey was surrendered to Henry VIII as part of the dissolution of the monasteries.

Generally the monastic buildings were demolished but this town managed to buy back the land and continue worshipping on the site. Although the Abbey has changed significantly over the years it still dominates the town.

Tewkesbury has its own modern industrial estate and the nearby Ashchurch army camp is one of the largest depots of its kind in the UK..

www.tewkesbury.gov.uk


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Tewkesbury Floods

Tewkesbury suffered badly during the floods of July 2007. Whilst many counties were subject to particularly bad flooding during the year, the county of Gloucestershire was the worst affected.

June 2007 saw one of the wettest months on record for the UK. Rivers burst their banks and even flood defences in some locations did little to stem the flow of water which caused damage to thousands of homes.

At Tewkesbury the river burst its banks and part of the town and surrounding countryside became submerged. The flooding was so severe that Tewkesbury became completely cut off with little or no road access and parts of the town were under 3 feet or more of water.

Tewkesbury Abbey suffered its worst flooding in 245 years and the nearby Mythe Water Treatment Works was flooded and ceased pumping causing concerns for drinking water supplies. The army were called in to provide water bowsers and bottled water was shipped in to provide enough supplies while Severn Trent Water battled to restore service.

Emergency services struggled with unprecedented demand. The floods also caused problems and concern with electricity supplies.

 

Forest of Dean

The Royal Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley have an interesting and historical past. The beautiful forest and landscape provide breathtaking scenery and a popular recreation facility for the nearby town of Cheltenham and the City of Gloucester.

The Royal Forest of Dean covers around 27,000 acres. Unlike some forests in the UK this woodland has been well preserved and a wide variety of trees and shrubs make it a hikers paradise.

There is also plenty to do and see with an abundance of attractions which you can find all about by clicking on the links in the right hand column. The Wye Valley, best viewed from Symonds Yat Rock, separate England from Wales and provide spectacular views across the countryside.

In 1938 the Forest of Dean became the first designated National Forest Park in England.

The official Royal Forest of Dean website can be found at www.forestofdean.gov.uk/

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Gloucester

The City of Gloucester has a lot more to offer than people realise. It is within a few miles of the town of Cheltenham, famous for it's Regency buildings. The Forest of Dean with its breathtaking beauty and views over the river Wye is only a short drive away. It has it's own impressive Cathedral and the Gloucester docks are a popular tourist attraction.

Gloucester used to be a Roman fortress. It gets its name from the Roman name for the town which is Glevum. Today Gloucester is a city with a fine Cathedral and some very worthy attractions nearby. Gloucester Docks and the Forest of Dean are popular tourist destinations.

The Cotswolds and surrounding area of Gloucester is notably one of the most pleasant areas of natural beauty in the country and with easy access to all parts of the UK this city is well worth a visit. The links on this page will tell you a lot about the County of Gloucestershire and the nearby attractions that you might like to visit.

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Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral was established in 1541 by King Henry VIII. However, long before this time there had been an Abbey and God has been worshipped on this site from early Saxon times. The Great Cloister by Abbot Horton, completed by Abbott Frouster is dated 1381-1412. Extensive work and restoration of the Cathedral took place in 1968 and the Cathedral was given a new roof.

This is a wonderful example of a Cathedral with a history going back 900 years. The magnitude and serenity of the building with its beautiful cloisters will leave a lasting impression on the visitor. The stained glass windows are intricate works of art in their own right. A visitor to Gloucester should certainly take in this impressive building with its close proximity to the main shopping centre of Gloucester and within easy walking distance of the Gloucester Docks.

Adjoining the Cathedral is King's School which has been educating children for hundreds of years. One feature of the Cathedral is the cloisters which apart from being in an excellent condition, lead through to a small courtyard where the full scale of the building can be viewed from within the cloister walls.

For more information visit the official Gloucester Cathedral website at www.gloucestercathedral.uk.com

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