Tewkesbury Abbey

Tewkesbury Abbey: The dominating crown in the Severn Valley, is all encompassing from every angle of approach, particularly at night when floodlit, an enduring statement of Norman craftsmanship. Today Tewkesbury Abbey serves as the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, its fate safely sealed when the townspeople bought the structure for £400 at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, during Henry VIII's troubled marriage period.

Started in the 12th century, Tewkesbury Abbey was a Benedictine monastery built in the Romanesque style, containing spectacular soaring nave columns and a distinct square tower, which stands at over 130ft, giving a commanding view from its roof across the whole of the Severn Valley to the distant Cotswold, Malvern and Welsh Hills.

In the 14th century the roof of the nave, along with the presbytery, were given new breathtaking vaulted ceilings that look down today on a wealth of impressive interior monuments including tombs, side chapels and window tracery, all within a building of Cathedral proportions.

The open pastureland on the south side of the Abbey gives an air of spaciousness, whilst on the north side, the fine half timbered streets hem in Tewkesbury Abbey which seems to peer around many corners. A short walk leads down to the River Avon, Tewkesbury Mill and out across Bloody Meadow where in 1471 Queen Margaret and her Lancastrian forces were defeated by a Yorkist army during the Wars of the Roses.

Location: In Tewkesbury Town (off the A38, A438 & M5 junc 9, A46), North Gloucestershire.

Rated for a visit: 10/10.