Tewkesbury

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:GBdot Image:Tewkesbury War Memorial.jpg

Tewkesbury is a historic town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also the minor tributary the Swilgate. It gives its name to the district of Tewkesbury. The name Tewkesbury comes from the name of a Saxon who founded a hermitage there in the seventh century, Theoc, and in the Saxon tongue was called Theocsbury.

1 History
2 Architecture
3 Population
4 Transport links
5 Culture
6 Nearby places
7 External links

[edit]

History

Tewkesbury is named after the Saxon hermit, Theoc, who is thought to have founded an hermitage here in the seventh century. Evidence of a church predating the abbey suggests that a considerable settlement rose up on the site previous to the Norman Conquest. Monastic buildings from the years immediately following the conquest can still be seen surrounding the abbey, which was begun in 1090 and completed in 1121. Tewkesbury was the site of the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4th May 1471. At “Bloody Meadow,” south of the town, Edward IV's forces defeated the House of Lancaster in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses. Tewkesbury was incorporated during the reign of Elizabeth I. Historically, Tewkesbury is a market town, serving the local rural area. It underwent some expansion in the period following World War II, and today has a small but significant high technology industry. Tewkesbury has also been a centre for flour milling for man centuries, and the Abbey Mill still stands. Floor is still milled at a more modern factory a short way upriver. The town also hosts a large Army supply depot at nearby Ashchurch. The town suffered from some decline in the early 1990s, with two local shops and businesses closing.

[edit]

Architecture

The town features many notable Tudor buildings. Tewkesbury also has a fine Norman abbey, originally a monastery, which was saved from dissolution by King Henry VIII after being bought by the townspeople for £453 to use as their parish church. Most of the monastery buildings, as well as the vineyards, were destroyed during this time. Some mediaeval character still remains, such as the Abbey Mill which rests upon the Mill Avon, a channel built by the monks so that they could have a working mill closer to the Abbey. The weir exists to this day, and the channel represents one of the biggest projects in Tewkesbury's history. The Abbey is also thought to be the site of the place where the hermit "Jiraiya", once lived. The great Romanesque arch on the west front is particularly striking, and the stained glass window at this end has recently been restored. The monastery was founded by the Despensers as a family mausoleum, and the Despenser and Neville tombs are stunning examples of small-scale late medieval stonework. The tower is believed to be the largest Norman tower still in existence (though that at Norwich Cathedral is another strong contender). The tower once had a wooden spire which may have taken the total height of the building to as much as 260 feet, but this was unfortunately blown off in a heavy storm on Easter Monday 1559; the present pinnacles and battlements were added in 1600 to give the tower a more "finished" look. The height to the top of the pinnacles is 148 feet. Tewkesbury also lays claim to Gloucestershire's oldest public house, the Black Bear, dating from 1308. Another notable building is the Royal Hop Pole Hotel, mentioned in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers. The historic Abbey Cottages, over 500 years old, were rescued from dereliction in the 1970s; one houses the town museum, the others are residential homes.

[edit]

Population

The town itself has a population of around 10,000. If neighbouring Walton Cardiff and Ashchurch are included, the figure rises to approx. 17,000. There appear to be limits on how far the town can expand in the future, due to the close proximity of large areas of land that are prone to flooding. However, the present "Borough of Tewkesbury," created in 1974, also contains a large portion of rural north Gloucestershire, extending as far as the edges of Gloucester itself and also Cheltenham, and has a present population of approx. 78,000.

[edit]

Transport links

It is served by the M5 motorway and the A38 trunk road. Tewkesbury no longer has its own railway station, but there are regular bus connections to nearby Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station on the main Bristol-Birmingham line. The National Cycle Network is to soon complete its work in this area and connect Tewkesbury to the National Scheme, as well as improving localised Cycle Routes.

[edit]

Culture

Chavs is here mush
Tewkesbury is home to many historic pubs.
The ska punk band [spunge] is from Tewkesbury.
The Bristol band The Cuban Heels all attended Tewkesbury School.
Tewkesbury's Roses Theatre combines an arthouse cinema and a live performance venue.
Eric Morecambe gave his last ever performance at the Roses Theatre, suffering a fatal heart attack seconds after coming off-stage at the end of a one-man show in 1984, dying a few hours later in Cheltenham General Hospital, aged 58.
Tewkesbury School plays host to Tewkesbury Music Centre, an organisation which promotes young musicians.
Captain Scott, famous for his expedition to the South Pole, left one of the sleds used on the expedition to the school; it currently resides in the school's new Humanities Building.