86-592: The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury , commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey , is located in the town of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire , England. A former Benedictine monastery , it is now a parish church . Considered one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain, it has "probably the largest and finest Romanesque " crossing tower in England. Tewkesbury had been
172-549: A centre for worship since the 7th century. A priory was established there in the 10th century. The present building was started in the early 12th century. It was unsuccessfully used as a sanctuary in the Wars of the Roses . After the dissolution of the monasteries , Tewkesbury Abbey became the parish church for the town. George Gilbert Scott led the restoration of the building in the late 19th century. The church and churchyard within
258-414: A festival combining music and liturgy. Photography in the abbey is restricted. Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( / ˈ tj uː k s b ər i / TEWKS -bər-ee ) is a market town and 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
344-445: A great uprising of ecclesiastical zeal, coinciding with a great increase of study, and consequently of knowledge of medieval architecture has driven people into spending their money on these buildings, not merely with the purpose of repairing them, of keeping them safe, clean, and wind and water-tight, but also of "restoring" them to some ideal state of perfection; sweeping away if possible all signs of what has befallen them at least since
430-532: 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. The town features many Medieval and Tudor buildings, but is most famous for Tewkesbury Abbey , a Norman abbey church. The Abbey was built by the Normans and consecrated in the year 1121. Originally the Abbey formed part of a Benedictine monastery and
516-572: A third factor, the Industrial Revolution had resulted in many people living in cities that had few churches to cater for their religious needs—for instance Stockport had a population of nearly 34,000 but church seating for only 2,500. The rise in dissenter denominations , such as Methodism and the Religious Society of Friends , was seen as further evidence of this shortfall. To fulfil this need, between 1818 and 1824
602-529: A wooden spire which may have taken the total height of the building to as much as 260 feet, but this was 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 (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 ) . From end to end it measures 331 feet (101 m), though prior to
688-707: 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
774-431: Is nearly 80% of all of them – were restored in some way between 1840 and 1875. There were 150% more people identified as professional architects in the 1871 census than in 1851 – it is known that established architects passed small restoration jobs on to their newly qualified colleagues, since such work provided good practice. The retention of original material (carving, woodwork, etc.) tended to be of little importance to
860-646: Is noted in Pevsner's Buildings of England to be "probably the largest and finest Romanesque example in England". Fourteen of England's cathedrals are of smaller dimensions, while only Westminster Abbey contains more medieval church monuments . Notable church monuments surviving in Tewkesbury Abbey include: The abbey's 17th-century organ – known as the Milton Organ – was originally made for Magdalen College, Oxford , by Robert Dallam . After
946-482: Is reflected in the two congregational services offered on Sunday mornings. The first of these (at 9.15am) is a Parish Eucharist , with modern language and an informal atmosphere; a parish breakfast is typically served after this service. The main Sung Eucharist at 11am is solemn and formal, including a choral Mass ; traditional language is used throughout, and most parts of the service are indeed sung, including
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#17328012225511032-477: Is served by these local newspapers: Tewkesbury Borough is twinned with Miesbach in Bavaria, Germany. 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
1118-474: 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
1204-655: Is unchanged by the new ward boundaries at the Town and Borough Councils. 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
1290-590: The English Civil War it was removed to the chapel of Hampton Court Palace , where the poet Milton may have played it. It came to Tewkesbury in 1737. Since then, it has undergone several major rebuilds. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register . In the north transept is the stupendous Grove Organ, built by the short-lived partnership of Michell & Thynne in 1885: [2] . The third organ in
1376-657: The Gothic Revival , and a shortage of churches where they were needed in cities, the Cambridge Camden Society and the Oxford Movement advocated a return to a more medieval attitude to churchgoing. The change was embraced by the Church of England which saw it as a means of reversing the decline in church attendance . The principle was to "restore" a church to how it might have looked during
1462-471: 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 for use as a Nonconformist meeting house. Including the original baptistery and pastor's room, the building is of significant historic interest. The building was restored to its 1720 appearance in
1548-532: The " Decorated " style of architecture which existed between 1260 and 1360, and many famous architects such as George Gilbert Scott and Ewan Christian enthusiastically accepted commissions for restorations. It is estimated that around 80% of all Church of England churches were affected in some way by the movement, varying from minor changes to complete demolition and rebuilding. Influential people like John Ruskin and William Morris were opposed to such large-scale restoration, and their activities eventually led to
1634-415: The "correct" style. "To restore," The Ecclesiologist declared, "is to revive the original appearance ... lost by decay, accident or ill-judged alteration". They did later admit, though, that such "restoration" might create an ideal state that the building had never been in. Church restorations were also strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement , which advocated moving the centre of importance in
1720-490: 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. The cemetery is managed by Tewkesbury Borough Council. Just to
1806-417: The 19th century by James Wyatt , the ornate west front (pictured above) was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott . It includes many ornate carved figures of kings, queens and saints, created from original materials where possible and new imitations and additions when the originals were not available. Wyatt's choir-screen had utilised medieval stone-work which Scott in turn used to create the clergy's seats in
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#17328012225511892-552: The Abbey Lawn Trust, a registered charity originally funded by a United States benefactor in 1962. The abbey possesses, in effect, two choirs. The Abbey Choir sings at Sunday services, with children (boys and girls) and adults in the morning, and adults in the evening. Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum is a professional choir of men, boys and girls based at Dean Close Preparatory School and sings at weekday Evensongs as well as occasional masses and concerts. The abbey previously had its own school to educate and provide choristers to sing
1978-533: The Abbey Lawn Trust, a building preservation charity. They house the John Moore Museum, residential homes and commercial offices. The John Moore Museum was established in 1980 in memory of the writer and naturalist, 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
2064-767: 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. Tewkesbury is served by Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station , located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town centre. It is served by Great Western Railway services primarily operating between Worcester Foregate Street and Bristol Temple Meads with some services operating to London Paddington , Salisbury and Great Malvern . Limited CrossCountry services from Cardiff to Nottingham and Stansted also call. Tewkesbury railway station used to serve
2150-591: 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. The following table lists the Mayors of Tewkesbury between 1836 and 1973. After 1973 both Tewkesbury Borough and Tewkesbury Town Council have appointed
2236-628: The Cambridge Camden Society that Decorated Gothic was the only correct style, and by the Oxford Movement's theories concerning the nature of worship, a spate of "restoration" was soon under way. Some figures give an idea of the scale. A total of 3,765 new and rebuilt churches were consecrated in the forty years up to 1875, with the most active decade being the 1860s in which there were more than 1,000 such consecrations. Over 7,000 parish churches in England and Wales – which
2322-463: The Collect and Gospel reading. Choral Evensong is sung on Sunday evenings, and also on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the week. A said Eucharist also takes place every day of the week, at varying times, and alternating between traditional and modern language. Each summer since 1969 (with the exception of 2007 when the town was hit by floods) the abbey has played host to Musica Deo Sacra,
2408-586: The Conqueror gave the manor of Tewkesbury to his cousin, Robert Fitzhamon , who, with Giraldus, Abbot of Cranborne , founded the present abbey in 1092. Building of the present abbey church did not start until 1102, employing Caen stone imported from Normandy and floated up the Severn. Robert Fitzhamon was wounded at Falaise in Normandy in 1105 and died two years later, but his son-in-law, Robert FitzRoy,
2494-618: 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
2580-553: The French manifestation. My first church dates from the same year with the foundation of the Cambridge Camden Society, to whom the honour of our recovery from the odious bathos is mainly due. I only wish I had known its founders at the time. George Gilbert Scott , Recollections, p. 86. One of the main driving forces for the restoration of churches was the Cambridge Camden Society (CCS), which
2666-502: The Government had granted £1.5 million for building new churches. Known as Commissioners' churches , most of them cost only £4,000 to £5,000 each to build, and dissatisfaction with their indifferent design and cheap construction provoked a strong reaction. Equivalent movements existed in most of Europe, especially northern Europe, with the French architect and architectural historian Eugène Viollet-le-Duc especially associated with
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2752-716: The Reformation, and often since dates much earlier. Despite his opposition, though, it is known that Morris profited greatly by his firm's provision of stained glass to many restoration projects, and it has been noted that his criticism only started after his firm was securely established as a supplier to these projects. But after 1880, in line with SPAB principles, the firm refused to accept stained glass commissions for historic ecclesiastical buildings. Further opposition came from evangelical Protestants , who believed that "ornamental carved work, decorative painting, encaustic tiles, and stained glass were foolish vanities which lead
2838-588: 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 . 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,
2924-1004: The Royal Hop Pole Hotel in Church Street (which has recently been converted into a part of the Wetherspoons pub chain with the discovery of a former medieval banqueting hall in the structure), mentioned in Charles Dickens ' The Pickwick Papers , the Bell Hotel, a large half-timbered structure opposite the Abbey gateway, and the House of the Nodding Gables in the High Street. The Abbey Cottages, adjacent to Tewkesbury Abbey , were built between 1410 and 1412. They were restored 1967 to 1972 by
3010-481: The Town. Following the 2023 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
3096-479: The abbey is the Elliott chamber organ of 1812, mounted on a movable platform: [3] . The bells at the abbey were overhauled in 1962 and the ring is now made up of twelve bells, cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. A semitone bell (Flat 6th) and extra treble were also cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1991 and 2020 respectively, making a total of 14 available for change ringing . The Old Clock Bells are
3182-403: The abbey precincts include tombs and memorials to many of the aristocracy of the area. Services have been high church but now include Parish Eucharist , choral Mass , and Evensong . These services are accompanied by one of the church's three organs and choirs. There is a ring of twelve bells, hung for change ringing . The Chronicle of Tewkesbury records that the first Christian worship
3268-440: The abbey. The victorious Yorkists, led by King Edward IV , forced their way into the abbey; the resulting bloodshed caused the building to be closed for a month until it could be purified and re-consecrated. At the dissolution of the monasteries , the last abbot , John Wakeman , surrendered the abbey to the commissioners of King Henry VIII on 9 January 1539. As a former monk of an endowed community, he received an annuity. This
3354-529: 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
3440-484: 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. The mill building facing
3526-492: The church from preaching to the sacrament of the Eucharist : from the pulpit to the altar . Consequences of this included moving the pulpit from a more central position to the side of the church, replacing box pews with open pews, creating a central aisle to give a better view of the altar, and the removal of galleries. Another consequence was that a larger chancel was required for the associated ritual. Persuaded by
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3612-434: The church in a uniform early style, sometimes on the evidence of just one remaining early feature. There were opponents. The Reverend John Louis Petit was a staunch and well-respected opponent from his first book, Remarks on Church Architecture (1841), until his death in 1868. The Archaeological Society was founded in 1845 by antiquarians anxious to bring the love of old buildings to a wider audience. Although John Ruskin
3698-688: 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
3784-572: 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 . Tewkesbury claims Gloucestershire's oldest public house, the Black Bear , dating from 1308. The pub closed in 2017 and after undergoing renovation from 2019 to 2022, reopened in 2023. Other notable large hostelries are
3870-461: The dividing walls of two chambers at the west end. On the exterior of the church, Butterfield removed the crumbling stucco that had been added in 1820 and re-faced the church walls with flint flushwork . At Lichfield Cathedral , the 18th century had been a period of decay: the 15th-century library was pulled down, most of the statues on the west front were removed, and the stonework covered with Roman cement . After some structural work early in
3956-403: The early restorers: appearance was all, and much good old work was discarded to be replaced by modern replacement in the chosen style. Different architects had different degrees of sympathy with original material, and as the century progressed greater care was generally taken; this was at least partly as a result of the increasingly louder voices that were raised in opposition. As an example of
4042-530: The formation of societies dedicated to building preservation, such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings . In retrospect the period of Victorian restoration has been viewed in a generally unfavourable light, though it did result in the rediscovery of some long-lost features and some churches that would otherwise have fallen into disrepair were saved. A number of factors working together led to
4128-460: The heart astray", and from others who were concerned about the cost: "For the cost of one stone church with a groined roof, or even an open timbered roof, two might be built in brick with plaster ceilings; and who could dare to say that worship in the plainer building would be less devout or sincere than that which was offered in the other?" Not all Catholics were in favour either: late in his life Cardinal Wiseman made it clear that his preference
4214-534: The hermit Theoc once lived . The Romanesque arch and stained glass window has been restored. The monastery was founded by the Despensers as a family mausoleum, and the Despenser and Neville tombs are fine 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
4300-434: The late 19th century under Sir George Gilbert Scott was reopened on 23 September 1879. Work continued under the direction of his son John Oldrid Scott until 1910 and included the rood screen of 1892. Flood waters from the nearby River Severn reached inside the abbey during severe floods in 1760, and again on 23 July 2007. The church itself is one of the finest Norman buildings in England. Its massive crossing tower
4386-399: The main shopping streets. The Town Council (not to be confused with 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 2023, with all councillors sitting as independents. The Mayor of Tewkesbury, Councillor Paul Jones,
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#17328012225514472-602: The natural son of Henry I who was made Earl of Gloucester, continued to fund the building work. The abbey's greatest single later patron was Lady Eleanor le Despenser , last of the De Clare heirs of FitzRoy. In the High Middle Ages , Tewkesbury became one of the richest abbeys of England. After the Battle of Tewkesbury in the Wars of the Roses on 4 May 1471, some of the defeated Lancastrians sought sanctuary in
4558-572: The north of the abbey precincts, of which vestiges remain in the layout of the streets and a few buildings: the Abbot's gatehouse, the Almonry barn, the Abbey Mill, Abbey House, the present vicarage and some half-timbered dwellings in Church Street. The abbey now sits partly isolated in lawns, like a cathedral in its cathedral close, for the area surrounding the abbey is protected from development by
4644-532: The old 6th (Abraham Rudhall II, 1725), the old 7th (Abraham Rudhall I, 1696), the old 8th (Abraham Rudhall I, 1696) and the old 11th (Abraham Rudhall I, 1717). The abbey bells are rung from 09:30am to 10:30am every Sunday. They are also rung on certain Sundays before Evensong . Practice takes place each Thursday from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. The churchyard contains war graves of two World War II Royal Air Force personnel. The market town of Tewkesbury developed to
4730-452: The only "correct" form for a church building was the "middle pointed" or " Decorated " style, in which churches had been built during the hundred years centred on 1300. Ecclesiology obviously struck a chord in society: it was closely linked with the ongoing interest in medievalism and the Gothic Revival . The CCS's firm insistence on one style being correct proved to be a beacon for those who were no longer able to judge for themselves what
4816-414: The problem was demonstrated when the spire of Chichester Cathedral suddenly telescoped in on itself in 1861. In addition, ever since the mid-17th century Puritan reforms, which were typified by a minimum of ritual and decoration and by an unambiguous emphasis on preaching, there had been an ongoing removal of any emotion or colour from English religious services as a means of distancing itself from what
4902-814: The railway embankment between Ashchurch and Tewkesbury began in 2013 to aid flood prevention in the town. Tewkesbury is served by the M5 and M50 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. A network of bus services serve the town and surrounding district, operated predominantly by Stagecoach West . Services run to Cheltenham , Gloucester , Bishop's Cleeve while Evesham can be reached using Diamond Bus service 540 which runs up to every 30 minutes Mondays to Saturdays. Buses run frequently from
4988-474: The river is now a well-known "at risk" structure, and can be seen clearly to have sunk on one end of its foundations. 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). Mythe Chapel , which was built in 1870, was deconsecrated in 1977. The Town of Tewkesbury
5074-417: The roof and the floor of the chancel, raising the roof of the south transept to its original pitch, removing the vestry, incorporating the south porch into the south aisle and removing the door, re-flooring the nave, installing new oak benches and replacing an earlier gallery. Butterfield also installed clear windows in the clerestory, allowing more light to enter the nave. He extended the aisles by knocking down
5160-453: The sanctuary. A new metal screen by Francis Skidmore and John Birnie Philip to designs by Scott was installed, as was a Minton tile pavement stretching from choir screen to altar, inspired by medieval tiles found in the Choir foundations. Famous architects such as George Gilbert Scott , Ewan Christian , William Butterfield and George Edmund Street became enthusiastic "restorers" and
5246-494: The service of Evensong. The Abbey School was founded in 1973 by Miles Amherst and closed in 2006. The choir was then re-housed at Dean Close School , Cheltenham, and renamed the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum. For the most part, worship at the abbey has been emphatically High Anglican . However, in more recent times there has been an acknowledgement of the value of less solemn worship, and this
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#17328012225515332-528: The spate of Victorian restoration. From the time of the English Reformation onwards, apart from necessary repairs so that buildings might remain in use, and the addition of occasional internal commemorative adornments, English churches and cathedrals were subjected to little building work and only piecemeal restoration. This situation lasted for about 250 years with the fabric of many churches and cathedrals suffering from neglect. The severity of
5418-470: The structure a roofless ruin. The price came to £453. The bells merited their own free-standing belltower, an unusual feature in English sites. After the dissolution, the bell-tower was used as the gaol for the borough until it was demolished in the late 18th century. The central stone tower was originally topped with a wooden spire, which collapsed in 1559 and was never rebuilt. Restoration undertaken in
5504-651: The town centre and radiating trunk roads remains largely unchanged since medieval times. 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. 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
5590-747: The town centre to Ashchurch railway station. In Newtown, 10 per cent of all work trips are made by bicycle. There are some bicycle paths in the built-up-area of Tewkesbury. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter. 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
5676-490: The town is generally considered as the built-up area to the immediate east and west of the M5 at junction 9, with the town centre, abbey and old town situated to the west. The close proximity of large areas of land that are prone to flooding, as evidenced by the severe floods that struck the region in July 2007, would make further expansion difficult. However, the present Borough of Tewkesbury , created on 1 April 1974, also contains
5762-704: The town. It was opened by the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway in 1840 and was sited in the High Street. It was replaced in 1864 by a new station built for the 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
5848-444: The type of work undertaken in one church, in 1870–71 the Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted , was the subject of a restoration programme by William Butterfield , whose other works included churches such as All Saints, Margaret Street in London. Butterfield's restoration involved the removal of some original features, including the obliteration of paintings on the pillars. The most substantial structural changes involved raising both
5934-559: The wave of restoration spread across the country so that by 1875 something like 80% of all churches in England had been affected in some way. In 1850 Scott wrote a book A plea for the faithful restoration of our Ancient Churches , in which he stated that "as a general rule it is highly desirable to preserve those vestiges of the growth and history of buildings which are indicated by the various styles and irregularities of its parts". However, he did not follow this principle in practice, generally sweeping away all later changes and reconstructing
6020-427: The west of the town is Thomas Telford 's Mythe Bridge over the River Severn , a 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;
6106-399: The whole church to the best and purest style of which traces remain". The Society wholeheartedly recommended the second option and since virtually every medieval church had at least some small remnant of decorated style, maybe a porch or even just a window, the whole church would be "restored" to match it. If the earliest portions were too late, then it was a candidate for a complete rebuild in
6192-559: The work done. In the introduction to his book The Gothic Revival (first published in 1928), Kenneth Clark wrote "The real reason the Gothic Revival had been neglected is that it produced so little on which our eyes can rest without pain". Clark also reckoned that Decorated Gothic was the worst of the three possible styles that could have been adopted—the others being Early English which had "very little detail which an ordinary craftsman could not manage", and Perpendicular which
6278-571: Was William Morris who campaigned against the proposed restoration of St John the Baptist Church, Inglesham , in the 1880s and started the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in 1877 when he heard of the proposed restoration of Tewkesbury Abbey by Scott. The principles espoused by SPAB took some time to attract support, but the policy of putting "Protection in place of Restoration" eventually took hold, and are adhered to today. Morris also wrote in 1877: But of late years
6364-524: Was "good" in architecture—the certainties of the Vitruvian rules having lost their power during the Romantic movement that had been in vogue since the middle of the 18th century. The CCS stated that there were two possible ways in which a church could be restored. As Kenneth Clark put it, they said that one could "either restore each of the various alterations and additions in its own style, or restore
6450-541: Was "infinitely the most adaptable of medieval styles". Clark pointed out that Decorated was the most difficult to execute, not least because of the complicated window tracery that set it apart from the other two Gothic styles. However, not all restoration work was purely negative: a side effect of a number of restorations was the rediscovery of long-lost features, for instance Anglo-Saxon carving that had been incorporated into Norman foundations, or wall-paintings that had been whitewashed over, as at St Albans Cathedral . It
6536-609: Was brought to the area by Theoc, a missionary from Northumbria , who built his cell in the mid-7th century near a gravel spit where the Severn and Avon rivers join. The cell was succeeded by a monastery in 715, but nothing remaining of it has been identified. In the 10th century the religious foundation at Tewkesbury became a priory subordinate to the Benedictine Cranborne Abbey in Dorset. In 1087, William
6622-514: Was completed in the first decade of 2000. Mitton is now a contiguous low-density rural suburb connected to Tewkesbury. At the 2021 UK census the Tewkesbury parish had a population of 10,663. If the neighbouring parishes of Wheatpieces (3,582), Northway (4,859) and Ashchurch Rural (1,814) are added, the figure rises to 20,918. The Tewkesbury urban area is divided in two by the north–south running M5 motorway , opened in February 1971. However,
6708-549: Was for Renaissance art, as might be expected of a religious order of Italian origin. The Church's Restoration In eighteen-eighty-three Has left for contemplation Not what there used to be. From Hymn by John Betjeman , parody of The Church's One Foundation (traditional tune settings include "Ellacombe" and "Aurelia"). From a 20th-century perspective the process of Victorian restoration has often been viewed unfavourably, with terms such as "ruthless", "insensitive" and "heavy-handed" being commonly used to describe
6794-654: Was founded in 1839 by two Cambridge undergraduates, John Mason Neale and Benjamin Webb , as a club for those who shared a common interest in Gothic church design. It rapidly became popular: its membership increased from 8 to 180 in its first 12 months. Although initially a society for recording and discussing medieval church features, the members of the CCS soon began to expostulate in their journal The Ecclesiologist and particularly in their Few Words to Church-builders of 1844 that
6880-494: Was generally in favour of new buildings in an early Gothic style, in 1849 he wrote in The Seven Lamps of Architecture that it was not possible "to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture". The Society of Antiquaries of London urged in 1855 that "no restoration should ever be attempted, otherwise than ... in the sense of preservation from further injuries". A later vociferous opponent
6966-435: 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. 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
7052-588: Was saved from the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII after being bought by the townspeople for the price of the lead on the roof to use as their parish church . 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
7138-469: Was seen as the excesses of Catholicism but towards the end of the 18th century the burgeoning Gothic Revival and interest in medievalism encouraged people to seek more interest in their religious services. The popularity of the Gothic Revival was seen by Church officials as a way to reverse the decline in church attendance, and thereby start to reassert the Church's power, prosperity and influence. They therefore pushed for massive restoration programs. As
7224-471: 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. Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration
7310-528: Was the relatively large sum of 400 marks , but would have ceased when he was ordained as the first Bishop of Gloucester in September 1541. Meanwhile, the people of Tewkesbury saved the abbey from destruction. Insisting that it was their parish church which they had the right to keep, they bought it from the Crown for the value of its bells and lead roof which would have been salvaged and melted down, leaving
7396-456: Was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria . It was not the same process as is understood today by the term building restoration . Against a background of poorly maintained church buildings, a reaction against the Puritan ethic manifested in
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