Tewkesbury Abbey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin |
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Tewkesbury Abbey
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| 51°59′25″N 2°9′38″W / 51.99028°N 2.16056°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | High church / Modern Catholic |
| Website | tewkesburyabbey.org.uk |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Tewkesbury |
| Diocese | Gloucester |
| Province | Canterbury |
Tewkesbury Abbey, officially known as the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, is a very old and beautiful church in Tewkesbury, England. It used to be a Benedictine monastery, which is a special religious community where monks lived. Today, it serves as a local church for the town.
Many people consider Tewkesbury Abbey to be one of the best examples of Norman architecture in Britain. This means it was built in a grand style from the time of the Normans. It has a huge and impressive tower where the main parts of the church meet, which is thought to be the largest and finest of its kind in England.
The site where the abbey stands has been a place of worship since the 600s. The current building started being built in the early 1100s. It was once used as a safe place during the Wars of the Roses, a big conflict in English history. Later, when King Henry VIII closed many monasteries, the people of Tewkesbury saved the abbey. In the late 1800s, Sir George Gilbert Scott led a big project to repair and update the building. The church and its grounds hold tombs and memorials for many important people from the area.
Today, the abbey holds various services, including a Parish Eucharist, choral Mass, and Evensong. These services often feature music from the church's three organs and its choirs. The abbey also has a set of twelve bells that are rung regularly.
Contents
Tewkesbury Abbey: A Historic English Church
A Look Back: The Abbey's Long History
Old records from Tewkesbury say that the first Christian worship in this area was started by Theoc, a religious teacher from Northumbria, in the mid-600s. He built a small cell (a simple dwelling) near where the River Severn and Avon rivers meet. A monastery was built there in 715, but nothing from that early building remains today.
In the 900s, the religious community at Tewkesbury became a smaller priory connected to Cranborne Abbey in Dorset. In 1087, William the Conqueror gave the land of Tewkesbury to his cousin, Robert Fitzhamon. Robert, along with Giraldus, the Abbot of Cranborne, founded the present abbey in 1092. However, building the current abbey church didn't start until 1102. Workers used special Caen stone that was brought from Normandy in France and floated up the River Severn.
Robert Fitzhamon was hurt in a battle in France in 1105 and passed away two years later. But his son-in-law, Robert FitzRoy (King Henry I's son), kept paying for the building work. A later important supporter was Lady Eleanor le Despenser. During the Middle Ages, Tewkesbury became one of the wealthiest abbeys in England.
After a big battle in the Wars of the Roses on May 4, 1471, some losing soldiers tried to hide in the abbey. But the winning King Edward IV's soldiers went inside, and there was fighting. The church had to be closed for a month to be cleaned and blessed again.
When King Henry VIII closed many monasteries in 1539, the last leader of the abbey, John Wakeman, gave it to the King's officials. However, the people of Tewkesbury saved the abbey from being destroyed! They said it was their local church and they bought it from the King for £453. This was the cost of its bells and lead roof, which would have been taken and melted down, leaving the church a ruin.
The bells were so important that they had their own separate bell tower, which was unusual. After the abbey was saved, this bell tower was even used as a local prison for a while before it was taken down in the late 1700s.
The main stone tower once had a wooden spire on top, but it fell down in 1559 and was never put back. Big repairs and updates happened in the late 1800s, led by Sir George Gilbert Scott. His son, John Oldrid Scott, continued the work until 1910, adding things like the beautiful screen in 1892.
The River Severn flooded the abbey in 1760 and again in 2007.
Building Through the Centuries
Here's a timeline of when different parts of the abbey were built or changed:
- 23 October 1121: The choir area was officially opened.
- 1150: The main tower and the nave (the central part of the church) were completed.
- 1178: A large fire meant some parts needed rebuilding.
- ~1235: The Chapel of St Nicholas was built.
- ~1300: The Chapel of St. James was built.
- 1321–1335: The choir was rebuilt with small chapels for prayers around it.
- 1349–59: The arched ceilings of the tower and nave were rebuilt, replacing older wooden roofs with fancy stone ones.
- 1400–1410: The cloisters (covered walkways) were rebuilt.
- 1438: The Chapel of Isabel (Countess of Warwick) was built.
- 1471: After the Battle of Tewkesbury, fighting happened inside the church, causing it to be closed for cleaning.
Exploring the Abbey Building
The church itself is one of the best Norman buildings in England. Its huge tower where the church arms meet is noted in a famous book about English buildings as "probably the largest and finest Romanesque example in England." Many cathedrals in England are smaller than Tewkesbury Abbey. Only Westminster Abbey has more old church memorials.
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The tall Norman arch at the front of the abbey is unique in England.
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The nave, or main part, of Tewkesbury Abbey.
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A special banner for Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay inside the abbey.
Important Tombs and Memorials
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Many important tombs and memorials can be found in Tewkesbury Abbey:
- 1107: The abbey's founder, Robert Fitzhamon, was buried here. His son-in-law, Robert FitzRoy (King Henry I's son), continued building the abbey.
- 1375: Edward Despenser, a local lord, has a monument with a statue of him kneeling on his special chapel, looking towards the main altar.
- 1395: Robert Fitzhamon's remains were moved into a new chapel built as his tomb.
- 1471: A brass plate on the floor shows the grave of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. He was the son of King Henry VI and was killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury when he was only 17. He is the only Prince of Wales ever to die in battle.
- 1478: The bones of George, Duke of Clarence (brother to two kings, Edward IV and Richard III), and his wife Isabel are kept behind a glass window in a hidden tomb behind the main altar.
- 1539: Abbot Wakeman had a special tomb built for himself, but he wasn't actually buried there. It's a memorial, not his actual grave.
- Also buried in the abbey are several members of the Despenser, de Clare, and Beauchamp families, who gave a lot of money to the abbey. These include Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick, and his wife, Cecily Neville, Duchess of Warwick.
The Abbey's Amazing Organs
Tewkesbury Abbey is home to three impressive organs:
Milton Organ
The abbey's 17th-century pipe organ is known as the Milton Organ. It was first made for Magdalen College, Oxford, by Robert Dallam. After the English Civil War, it was moved to Hampton Court Palace, where the famous poet Milton might have played it. It came to Tewkesbury in 1737 and has been repaired and updated many times since then. You can find more details about the organ online.
Grove Organ
In the north part of the church, you'll find the amazing Grove Organ. It was built in 1885 by Michell & Thynne.
Chamber Organ
The third organ in the abbey is the Elliott chamber organ from 1812. It's on a movable platform, so it can be moved around the church.
The Sound of the Bells
The bells at the abbey were repaired and updated in 1962. The main set now has twelve bells, made by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. Two more bells were added in 1991 and 2020, making 14 bells in total for a special type of bell-ringing called change ringing.
The older bells used for the clock include ones from 1725 and 1696.
The abbey bells are rung every Sunday morning from 9:30 am to 10:30 am. They are also sometimes rung before the evening service. People practice ringing them every Thursday evening from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
Around the Abbey: Churchyard and Grounds
The churchyard has graves for two Royal Air Force members who died in World War II. These are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The town of Tewkesbury grew up around the abbey. You can still see parts of the old abbey grounds, like the Abbot's gatehouse, a barn, the Abbey Mill, Abbey House, the current vicarage, and some old half-timbered houses in Church Street. The area around the abbey is protected from new buildings by a charity called the Abbey Lawn Trust, which started in 1962 with help from someone in the United States.
Music and Services at the Abbey
Worship at the abbey has mostly followed a traditional Anglican style. However, in more recent times, the abbey also offers simpler services. On Sunday mornings, there's a Parish Eucharist (a type of communion service) with modern language and a relaxed feel. A breakfast is often served afterwards. The main Sunday service at 11 am is more formal, with a choir singing many parts. It uses traditional language.
Choral Evensong (an evening prayer service with singing) happens on Sunday evenings and also on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the week. A spoken communion service also takes place daily, using both traditional and modern words. Each summer since 1969 (except for 2007 when the town flooded), the abbey has hosted Musica Deo Sacra, a festival that brings together music and church services. Taking photos inside the abbey has some rules.
Abbey Choirs
The abbey has two main choirs. The Abbey Choir sings during Sunday services, with children (boys and girls) and adults in the morning, and adults in the evening. The Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum is a special choir of men, boys, and girls from Dean Close Preparatory School. They sing at weekday evening services and sometimes at concerts.
The abbey used to have its own school for its singers, founded in 1973. That school closed in 2006, and the choir moved to Dean Close School, becoming the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum.
Images for kids
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The chancel and decorated vault.
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View of the decorated ceiling above the choir.
See also
In Spanish: Abadía de Tewkesbury para niños
