Tewkesbury

Coordinates: 51°59′N 2°10′W / 51.99°N 2.16°W / 51.99; -2.16
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town in England. For other uses, see Tewksbury.

Tewkesbury
Town and civil parish
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTewkesbury
Postcode districtGL20
Dialling code01684
PoliceGloucestershire
FireGloucestershire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Gloucestershire
51°59′N 2°10′W / 51.99°N 2.16°W / 51.99; -2.16

Tewkesbury (

civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon
, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the
Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire
, marked largely by the Carrant Brook (a tributary of the River Avon).

The name Tewkesbury is thought to come from Theoc, the name of a Saxon who founded a hermitage there in the 7th century, and in the Old English language was called Theocsbury.[2][3] An erroneous derivation from Theotokos (the Greek title of Mary, mother of God) enjoyed currency in the monastic period of the town's history.

The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses and is marked annually by a medieval festival in the town, including historical re-enactment.

Geography

Geographic position

The town is situated approximately halfway between the cities of Gloucester and Worcester, positioned where natural rises in the land allowed early settlers of the town to avoid flooding, yet also to take advantage of the fertile soils and transport connections. The layout of the town centre and radiating trunk roads remains largely unchanged since medieval times.

Expansion

In 1965, Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire, was enlarged by incorporating the then-new Mitton housing estate, on land previously in Bredon parish, Worcestershire, as part of the West Midland Counties Order.[4] The estate now forms part of the "Tewkesbury Town with Mitton" borough council ward, which also covers Tewkesbury town centre. A further housing project in Mitton was completed in the first decade of 2000. Mitton is now a contiguous low-density rural suburb connected to Tewkesbury.

Nearby places

Demography

At the

Borough of Tewkesbury, created on 1 April 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 94,884.[5]

Historical landmarks

Tewkesbury War Memorial (The Cross), and High Street.

The town features many

Tudor buildings, but is most famous for Tewkesbury Abbey, a Norman
abbey church.

The Abbey

The Abbey was built by the Normans and consecrated in the year 1121.[6] Originally the Abbey formed part of a

Henry VIII after being bought by the townspeople for the price of the lead on the roof to use as their parish church.[7]
Most of the monastery buildings, as well as the vineyards, were destroyed during this time. The Abbey Mill however still remains, resting upon the Mill Avon, a channel allegedly built by the monks. This channel represents one of the biggest projects in Tewkesbury's history, though the present weir dates only from the 1990s, replacing two sluice gates installed in the 1930s. The Abbey Mill is also sometimes known as "Abel Fletcher's Mill", but this is simply the name given to it in Dinah Craik's novel John Halifax, Gentleman, whose setting Norton Bury is based on Tewkesbury.

The abbey is thought to be the site of the place where the hermit Theoc once lived[

Despensers as a family mausoleum, and the Despenser and Neville tombs are fine examples of small-scale late medieval stonework.[citation needed
]

The tower is believed to be the largest Norman tower still in existence[

battlements were added in 1600 to give the tower a more "finished" look. The height to the top of the pinnacles is 148 feet (45 m). The abbey is thought to be the third largest church in Britain that is not a cathedral (after Westminster Abbey and Beverley Minster)[citation needed]. From end to end it measures 331 feet (101 m), though prior to the destruction of the original Lady Chapel (also at the time of the dissolution), the total length was 375 feet (114 m). The abbey is a parish church, still used for daily services, and is believed to be the second-largest parish church in England, again, after Beverley Minster.[8]

Pubs, inns and taverns

Tewkesbury claims Gloucestershire's oldest public house, the Black Bear, dating from 1308.

half-timbered
structure opposite the Abbey gateway, and the House of the Nodding Gables in the High Street.

The Royal Hop Pole, mentioned in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers

Around the Abbey

The Abbey Cottages, adjacent to

John Moore. The museum consists of three buildings: the main John Moore Museum, home to an extensive Natural History collection; the Merchant's House, restored to its Tudor appearance; and the Old Baptist Chapel. The Old Baptist Chapel, located off Church Street, is a timber-framed building, formally a medieval hall house dating to the 1480s. Sometime in the 17th century, it was converted[11] for use as a Nonconformist meeting house. Including the original baptistery and pastor's room, the building is of significant historic interest.[citation needed] The building was restored to its 1720 appearance in the 1970s by Tewkesbury Borough Council. It was further renovated and interpreted in 2015 by the Abbey Lawn Trust and is used as a venue for a variety of cultural events. Behind the chapel is a small cemetery for those who were members of the congregation. This includes the grave of William Shakespeare-Hart, fifth great-grandnephew of William Shakespeare.[12]
The cemetery is managed by Tewkesbury Borough Council.

Along the river

Just to the west of the town is

cast-iron structure with a 170 feet (52 m) span, opened in 1826. Tewkesbury's other notable bridge is the stone-built King John's Bridge over the Avon, commissioned by King John in the late 12th century as part of improvements to the main road from Gloucester to Worcester
. Original stonework can still be seen on its north side; the bridge was widened in the 1950s to meet traffic requirements at the time.

The river was significant in the commercial development of the town. The large industrial flour mill site, built in 1865 stands near the confluence of the Avon and Severn rivers, where barges were used to transport goods. The mill, known as Healing's Mill (and previously owned by

Allied Bakeries) closed for milling in 2006.[13]
The mill building facing the river is now a well-known "at risk" structure, and can be seen clearly to have sunk on one end of its foundations.[14]

The Gloucestershire Water Rescue Centre, also known as Tewkesbury fire station, is a combined project between Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS).[15]

Mythe Chapel, which was built in 1870, was deconsecrated in 1977.

Governance

Modern governance

Tewkesbury Town Hall
Tewkesbury Town Council
Type
Type
Independent
16 / 16
Elections
Multiple non transferable vote
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Town Hall, 18 High Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5AL
Website
www.tewkesburytowncouncil.gov.uk

The Town of Tewkesbury is located within the Non-Metropolitan County of Gloucestershire and forms part of the Tewkesbury Urban Area. Civil Parishes of Tewkesbury Town, Wheatpieces and Northway form the Tewkesbury Urban Area. The Tewkesbury Town Civil Parish is the largest Parish within the Urban Area and is the location of the Deveraux Centre, Tewkesbury Community Hospital, Tewkesbury Leisure Centre, Tewkesbury Borough Council Public Services Centre and the main shopping streets.

The

Tewkesbury Borough, which covers a wider area than Tewkesbury Town) has 16 members from the four wards of Town with Mitton, Newtown, Priors Park, and Mythe who are elected every four years. Councillors were last elected in 2019, with all councillors sitting as independents. The Mayor of Tewkesbury Councillor Simon Raywood is the civic head of the council and chairs meetings of the full council. The council also appoints a Deputy Mayor who supports the Mayor in their duties and often succeeds to the office of Mayor in the following civic year. The council was formally established in 1974 following the dissolution of the municipal borough of Tewkesbury but continues to occupy Tewkesbury Town Hall and maintains the same civic role within the Town.[18]

Following the 2019 local elections, the Town Council continues to be formed of 16 members representing the three wards of Tewkesbury North, Tewkesbury South and Newtown. The boundaries of these new Town Council Wards mirror the new Tewkesbury Borough Wards of Tewkesbury North with Twyning, Tewkesbury South and Tewkesbury East. The Gloucestershire County Council divisions of Tewkesbury and Tewkesbury East is unchanged by the new ward boundaries at the Town and Borough Councils.

Black and white buildings in Tewkesbury High Street. The left-hand one was built c.1510, with the exterior refronted in c.1650.

Tewkesbury is also covered by

Tewkesbury Borough Council (district level) and Gloucestershire County Council. Tewkesbury is part of the wider Tewkesbury constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Prior to Brexit in 2020, it was represented in the European Parliament as part of the South West England
constituency in the European Parliament.

Through the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, a new District Council was created comprising the pre-1974 Tewkesbury Borough, Cheltenham Rural District and parts of Gloucester Rural District. In May 1973 a joint committee of the predecessor Councils recommended that a new Royal Charter be applied for. This Royal Charter conferring Borough Status was granted on 27 February 1973 and took effect on 1 April 1974. By virtue of this Charter the Borough appoint a Mayor and Deputy Mayor which results in there being two Mayors covering Tewkesbury at different level of government. The Borough Mayor being the first citizen of Tewkesbury Borough and the Town Mayor being the first citizen of the Town itself.

Historical governance and town mayoralty

The following table lists the Mayors of Tewkesbury between 1836 and 1973.[

Tewkesbury Borough and Tewkesbury Town Council
have appointed the Borough Mayor and Town Mayor respectively. The date of the Mayors Election changed from November to May in 1947/48 during the term of office of J.O. Martin.

Table 1: Tewkesbury Mayors between 1836 and 1973.
Years Mayor
1836 J.B. Lewis
1837 C. Porter
1838 S. Healing
1839 C. Porter
1840 R.Phelps
1841 C. Porter
1842 J. Packer
1843 B. Trotter
1844 J. Stevenson
1845 I. Gregory
1846 J. Richards
1847 H.P. Strickland
1848 H.E. Strickland
1849 N. Chandler
1850
1851
1852 W.L. Chandler
1853
1854 H. Brown
1855
1856 S. Healing
1857 G. Banaster
1858 F.J. Prior
1859 T. Weaver.
1860 F.J. Price
1861 S. Hitch
1862
1863
1864 W. Allard
1865 G. Blizard
1866 J.F. Prosser
1867
1868 G. Blizard
1869 I. Nind
1870 J. Hanford
1871 W.G. Healing
1872 J.F. Prosser
1873 F. Thomas
1874 J.F. Prosser
1875 A. Healing
1876 J.H. Boughton
1877 J.F. Prosser
1878 J.H. Boughton
1879 J.F. Prosser
1880
1881 W.G. Healing
1882 M.C. Smart
1883 J.H. Boughton
1884
1885
1886 B.T. Moore
1887
1888 E. Thomas
1889
1890 T. Collins
1891 M.C. Smart
1892 T. Collins
1893
1894
1895
1896 T.W. Moore
1897 A. Baker
1898 A. Baker
1899 W.E. Hayward
1900 T.W. Moore
1901
1902 C.C. Moore
1903 P.A. Pike
1904 L. Jones
1905 G.M. Rice
1906 J. Willis
1907
1908 G.C. Bayliss
1909 F.W. Godfrey
1910 A. Baker
1911
1912 W.H. Hayward
1913
1914 G. Hone
1915 H. Bishop
1916
1917 C.W. Jones
1918 A. Baker
1919
1920 W.T. Boughton
1921
1922
1923 G.P. Howell
1924
1925 W.T. Boughton
1926
1927
1928
1929 G.P. Howell
1930 L.L. Stroud
1931 R.A. Gaze
1932
1933
1934
1935 S.C.J. Moulder
1936
1937 R.A. Gaze
1938
1939
1940
1941 Rev. H.G. Brown
1942
1943
1944
1945 H. Crouch
1946 J.O. Martin
1947
1948
1949 F.H. Knight
1950
1951
1952 T.G. Bannister
1953
1954
1955
1956 W. Bettany
1957 F.H. Knight
1958 W.E. Lane
1959
1960 H.O. Workman
1961
1962 L.G. Marston
1963
1964 P.K. Holding
1965
1966 G.S. Brown
1967 G.M. Workman
1968 J.R. Griffiths
1969 G.P. Long
1970 L.A. Webster
1971
1972 M.R. Shepard
1973 F.J.O. Martin

Transport

Railways

Tewkesbury is served by

Nottingham and Stansted also call.[20]

Tewkesbury & Malvern Railway; this closed on 14 August 1961, when the Ashchurch to Upton-on-Severn passenger service was withdrawn by British Railways
(through trains to Great Malvern had ceased previously in December 1952). Freight traffic continued until final closure in December 1964. Removal of the railway embankment between Ashchurch and Tewkesbury began in 2013 to aid flood prevention in the town.

Roads

Tewkesbury is served by the

motorways and the A38, A438 and A46 trunk roads. Congestion on the A46 around Ashchurch and junction 9 of the M5 is being addressed through a series of road works, which started in 2014.[21]

Buses

A network of bus services serve the town and surrounding district, operated predominantly by Stagecoach West; including services to Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bishop's Cleeve and Evesham. Buses run frequently from the town centre to Ashchurch railway station.[22]

Cycling

In Newtown, 10 per cent of all work trips are made by bicycle.[23] There are some bicycle paths in the built-up-area of Tewkesbury.

Culture

Festivals and fairs

Local media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter. [32] However, BBC West and ITV West Country are also received through cable and satellite television such as Freesat and Sky.

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Gloucestershire on 104.7 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West on 107.5 FM, Heart West on 102.4 FM and Gloucester FM on 96.6 FM.

The town is served by these local newspapers:[33]

Cultural references

Notable people

Sports and recreation

  • Tewkesbury has one of the 471 King George's Fields as its recreation ground.
  • The football club, Tewkesbury Town FC have three men's teams in the Saturday Cheltenham Leagues, two teams in the Evesham Birdseye Sunday Leagues, a Veterans team for ages 35+ in the Gloucestershire North County League and hold weekly training sessions for Ladies in preparation for starting a team in the 2014/15 season. They are holders of the Gloucestershire County Cup as well as the Evesham Bluck cup, Pershore Hospital cup, are Evesham League Division 3 Champions and are the Evesham Leagues Team of the Year 2012/13.
  • The cricket team, Tewkesbury Cricket Club 1st XI play in the Glos/wilts Division of the West of England Premier League.
  • The
    Rugby Union
    in Gloucestershire Division One and has gained promotion to Gloucester Division Premiership
  • The running club, Tewkesbury AC compete in local, national and international running events.
  • Cheltenham College Boathouse is situated at Lower Lode
  • Facilities at Tewkesbury School are used as a public sports centre for swimming, gym, squash and other sports.
  • The Tewkesbury lawn green Bowling Club plays in the Gloucestershire men's and ladies leagues.
  • The Tewkesbury swimming club is in Tewkesbury and trains at the Leisure Centre near the Tewkesbury Abbey, and at the Tewkesbury School swimming pool.

Twin town

Tewkesbury Borough is

twinned with Miesbach in Bavaria, Germany.[39]
Tewkesbury Town has had a sister city relationship
twinned with Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, United States of America since 2003 and also has ties with Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, Quebec, Canada. During the 1990s the relationship between the town of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire and Tewksbury, Massachusetts
was strengthened and the possibility of a formal twinning was investigated. A formal twinning arrangement between the two towns was not progressed during the 1990s although a link was maintained during this time. The relationship between these two towns resulted in the placing of the Miko Kaufman sculpture called Touching Souls at Tewkesbury Abbey.

References

  1. ^ "Tewkesbury". City population. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. ^ Toulmin Smith L., ed. 1909, The Itinerary of John Leland, London, IV, 150
  3. ^ http://opendomesday.org/place/SO8932/tewkesbury/ Archived 25 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Open Domesday Online: Tewkesbury
  4. ^ Elrington, CR (1968). A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 8. London: Victoria County History. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Tewkesbury District". City population. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  6. ^ Tewkesbury Abbey official website, https://www.tewkesburyabbey.org.uk/history/ Archived 23 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ C. J. Litzenberger, ed. Tewkesbury Churchwardens' Accounts, 1563-1624 (Stroud, Gloucester: 1994) vii.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Simon (1999). England's Thousand Best Churches. p. 228.
  9. ^ Pub-explorer.com Archived 11 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Pub-explorer.com.
  10. ^ "Gloucestershire's 'oldest' pub set to reopen after revamp". 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  11. ISBN 978 1 78442 134 2
    , published 2015
  12. ^ "William Shakespeare's family roots traced to Tewkesbury". BBC. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Borough Mills redevelopment". Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Victorian Society: 'At-risk' mill, market and department store". BBC News. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Home / SARA Rescue Stations Map / SARA Tewkesbury Rescue Station SARA Tewkesbury Rescue Station". Severn Area Rescue Association. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Councillors – Tewkesbury Town Council". Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Councillors – Tewkesbury Town Council". Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Venue Hire". Tewkesbury Town Council. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Ashchurch and Tewkesbury District Rail Promotion Group". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  20. ^ Services calling at Ashchurch for Tewkesbury on 2 January 2024 Realtime Trains
  21. ^ "A46 Ashchurch and M5 Junction Improvements - Road Projects - Highways Agency". Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Tewkesbury Bus Services". Bus Times. 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Gloucestershire Local Transport Plan 2015-2031". Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  24. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  25. ^ "The Night Eric Morecambe Died" (PDF).
  26. ^ Tewkesbury Grammar School 1576 – 1972, Paul Fluck, Grenfell Publications 1987
  27. ^ "Tewkesbury Borough Council". www.tewkesbury.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008.
  28. ISBN 1-903471-91-5
    . Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  29. ^ Anthea Jones Tewkesbury
  30. ^ "Showmen's Guild of Great Britain Central Office". Showmensguild.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  31. ^ "Musica Deo Sacra". Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Ridge Hill (County of Herefordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter". May 2004.
  33. ^ https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2101604/gloucestershire-newspapers-october-2020.pdf
  34. ^ Rosie and Jim - Abbey - John Cunliffe - 1990, archived from the original on 10 May 2022, retrieved 10 May 2022
  35. ^ "BBC One - Antiques Roadshow, Series 39, Tewkesbury Abbey 1". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  36. ^ "BBC One - Antiques Roadshow, Series 39, Tewkesbury Abbey 2". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  37. ^ "BBC One - Antiques Roadshow, Series 39, Tewkesbury Abbey 2, A rare 18th century dress". BBC. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  38. ^ "Mel Nicholls: Paralympian completes handcycle journey around UK". BBC News. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  39. ^ "Bavarian twin has much in common with sibling". Gloucester Citizen. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tewkesbury.
Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Tewkesbury.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tewkesbury.
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