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!!!
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It looks like a very peaceful and beautiful place. Loved the look of that coffee place.
Apparently the owner is a jazz lover and there's a live band in the evening as well
Yeah. I can see it. Low lights, some candles would be a good intimate environment
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I have NO idea why I haven't been here!
Bloody shopping spoiling everything as usual.
Plenty of time I'm sure on your next visit back!
No wonder it's a journey from you and the photos you get are so beautiful, and make people interested in trying it. Perfect!
Thanks a lot!
🤗🤗
I know of Tewkesbury, but I don't. It not Cambridge or Leeds or any of the other big cities most foreigners know of, but I know it somehow.
That cathedral is stunning.To think they were building those things close to 1,000 years ago and then the Romans 1,000 years before that boggles the mind. Then that cafe. Do you have any idea how old it was?
Thank you so much for traveling around and showing my where my ancestors came from. I'll probably never get to visit the UK in my lifetime so it's nice to see these posts.
Good question about the age of the café... I'm not sure, probably at least a few hundred years old as the Old Baptist Chapel is one of the oldest building in town. It's quite common to find building 2 or 3 centuries old that bas still in use in UK.
What do you mean never get to UK!!? Come on over some time for holiday with the family! I'm sure your kids will love it. All Japanese does ,😄
I'd love to visit, but I'm not some rich HIVEr like yourself! Do you have any idea how much it costs to cart 3 kids around your local city, let alone half way around the world!? Maybe when they've all left the nest me and the Mrs. can plan a visit. I'm sure I'll have enough HIVE or HBD to pay for it by then.
The willow trees near that lovely old mill are amazing! Love that fourth shot! 😃
Thanks @thekittygirl . Bit of trivia for you, did you know the Chinese believes that willow trees attract ghosts? Don't ask me why though 🙂
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It's a shame that it didn't quite meet your expectations. That is often the case with many destinations.
You're probably right about that Mill eventually being converted into housing. That's a big trend back in Canada. Mill apartments, restaurants and spas.
The Jelly Roll Cafe looks amazing.
It's difficult to make use of these old large buildings nowadays, mills, factories, hospitals etc and many have lovely features, so converting into flat at least helps to preserve them
Yeah that's true for sure. It's a smart idea, I think.
I swear I heard of Tewkesbury before, maybe because of this:
Otherwise, it looks OK. The abbey is really pretty inside with the beams and the preserved deco. Reminds me a bit of York Abbey.
Not toi far away from you either. Well vat least a lot nearer than coming to super mud!!
OMG! Looks like a great relaxing place to add to my weekend getaway list. That's a lot of listed buildings! I think I and my camera will be very happy there. I can imagine also how many quaint little tea shops must be there :)
Absolutely, plus it's near Cheltenham and Gloucester also, makes a great long weekend away from London
Very beautiful...
Tewkesbury is quite nice - and as you say the Abbey is spectacular - well worth the visit !
!LUV
I was once in an old mill that was used as a "house" but still had its original shape, you couldn't see anything from the outside. However, if several apartments were to be built there, I imagine it would be a little more difficult. let's hope for the best :) nice that you got another impression than the first not so nice one! The Jelly Roll cafe looks cute!
And it had good home made food as well!! That's always a big bonus
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There were many stories in the old history of England. The town of Tewkesbury has more than 400 buildings and shows what a place this is as a mill to return to value. It is another event that they produce 25 sacks of flour in one world. This town was fought for. I am also very interested in making the roses structure by adapting the Game of Thrones arrangement. Many thanks for the good information and beautiful pictures.
You're welcome!!!
Are you sure thats not a statue of a Dementor from Harry Potter? 🤣
It's a lot more elegant!!!😄
Lol maybe a little
I have great admiration for the meal there. I'm salivating already.
The pictures of the places you visited are beautiful. The metal-clad statue of Mary that caught my attention the most in the church. It really looks like a work of art. I like to visit historical and cultural places. Thank you for introducing us to the places you visited. 🙏❤️
You're welocm @baycan, look forward to see more from Turkey as well
I prepared a very nice article introducing Antalya Kemer for you today I hope you like it.🌈☺️❤️🙏
I have seen places that smell like history in detail with this post. All the details are beautiful, but the last dinner plate is great.. 😍