Tewkesbury
24th May 2006
There has been a church on this site for over 1200 years. The present building has been here for the last 900 years. It is the church of the Benedictine Abbey of Tewkesbury, one of the last monasteries to be dissolved by King Henry VIII. Thanks to the people of that time, who bought it from the King for £453, the Abbey is still here today. It is not a Cathedral, but it is one of the largest parish churches in the country, supported only by the people and many visitors. It costs, at 2006 prices, £1000 a day to maintain. There is no support either from the Church of England nor the state. The public entrance is by the North Porch, lower left on the diagram below. The image above is of an image situated within the Abbey. Those images with a number correspond roughly to the numbers I have placed in the diagram.
Following a couple of days of very heavy
rain, the fields behind the Abbey were awash, as was the Tewkesbury
cricket club behind me. Here we have two swans taking flight from one of
the waterlogged playing fields.
From Victorian
times the Abbey was heated by these contraptions, charcoal burning heaters. This
is now gas fired, but still in use today.
Indeed, the influence of the
Victorians is everywhere as major reconstruction was carried out from 1879.
Manufactured by Gurney's.
The large stained
glass window over the front doors to the Abbey. The vault above has unique
"musical angels". Cleaned and restored in 1996.
Down the left
hand side of the Abbey the Victorian stained glass windows depict the life of
Jesus Christ whilst, on the opposite side, they depict the performing of
"miracles".
Stained glass
window high about the left hand side of the Abbey interior.
A list of the
Lords of Tewkesbury. These include such names as Mandeville; Beauchamp;
Devereaux; de Clare; Despencer; Neville & Plantagenet and includes King John (of
Magna Carta fame)
Floor of the
Choir, before the Altar. The vaulting above is 14th C and was cleaned and
restored in 1985.
The remains of
this Union Flag are dated at 1803 and was the standard for a local Regiment of
that time.
Nave, towards high altar. Massive Norman
pillars support the early 14th C vaulting. The Choir area, just before the
altar has 7 stained glass windows dating from 1335.
Originally covered in brass, its either
been removed for safety, rubbed into oblivion or was removed by persons
unknown at some much earlier date.
Abbey cottages - rear
Bed in Abbey Cottage
Bed is situated in room with open windows.
This house belonged to a merchant. Front room right was the "shop"
Abbey Cottages with Georgian house in
between
