Whether you’re going on vacation or for some other leisure activities, Tewkesbury is certainly a nice choice! Are you wondering about some of the best and fun things to do in Tewkesbury? Bother no more! I’m here to help!
At the low-lying confluence of the River Avon and Severn, Tewkesbury is a Medieval half-timbered town.
Presiding over this quaint streetscape is the Romanesque crossing tower of Tewkesbury Abbey, which has held on to a wealth of other Norman details.
Things to Do in Tewkesbury
1. Tewkesbury Town Tour
This is by far one of the best places to be in Tewkesbury. At the junction of Church Street and the High Street is the stunning 15th-century Cross House, thought to have been the court house of the Lords of Tewkesbury.
The Olde Black Bear on the High Street dates to 1308 and maybe the oldest pub in Gloucestershire, though is currently closed.
Also on the High Street is the precariously cantilevered 16th-century Golden Key House, the top floor of which was added in 1610 and leans over the street.
This is all just a small introduction, as the Abbey Mill, Town Hall (1788), Ancient Grudge (1471), Tudor House Hotel (c. 16th cent.) and The Old Wheatsheaf Inn (1500) all warrant a look also.
2. The Stonehill Roundabout
Coming into Tewkesbury on the A38 you’ll be met by a pair of commemorative sculptures erected in 2012 at the Stonehill roundabout.
On each side of the road there’s a timber horse.
One is mounted, representing the victorious Yorkist army, and the other is riderless and symbolises the vanquished Lancastrian forces led by Henry VI, who died (or was most likely murdered) at the Tower of London two weeks after the battle.
The sculpture is on the high ground where Edward IV’s army first came into view on the morning of May 4. The horses stand eight metres high and their steel pennants were cut using high-pressure water jets and sports by local schoolchildren.
These figures are full of symbolism, down to the choice of green oak timber, standing for Tewkesbury’s many timber-framed houses.
3. Merchant’s House
A few doors along Church Street is another building in the care of the John Moore Museum. This also makes for one of the best and most fun places to be in Tewksbury.
The stunning half-timbered house has been restored and furnished as it would have been in the 15th century. The front door opens onto a merchant’s shop, and this leads to a hall with an open fireplace and stairs that wind up to the bedroom with four posters.
The back is a typical Medieval kitchen showing off some of the utensils and ingredients used in home cooking at the time. The staffs are usually in Tudor attire and answer any queries you might have about 15th-century home life in Tewkesbury.
4. Old Baptist Chapel and Court
Just off Church Street, and also in the care of the John Moore Museum is an extraordinary timber-framed building that began its life as a simple residential property. But around the 17th century, it was, converted into a Nonconformist meeting house, initially in secret.
In the 1970s the Old Baptist Chapel and Court were restored to the way it would have looked in 1720, when the vaulted ceiling, gallery pastor’s room and baptistery were all added. This exceptional building has just been given a facelift and new interpretation signs have been fitted.
In the 17th-century cemetery behind is a grave for William Shakespeare-Hart a descendant of the famous playwright. Do well to visit this exciting tourist attraction.
5. Tewkesbury Abbey
During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, this former Wealthy Benedictine Abbey church was saved from destruction when the people of Tewkesbury claimed it as their parish church.
And we can thank them for that because Tewkesbury Abbey has some of the country’s best-preserved architecture.
This can be seen in the crossing tower, which is probably the largest Romanesque structure of its kind in Europe, as well as the eight bays of the nave, supported by giant pillars.
Outside, the tall Romanesque circular archivolts on the southwest face are unique in the UK. The Decorated Gothic chancel retains most of its Medieval stained glass, and on the floor in the centre of the sanctuary is a brass plate marking the grave of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (son of Henry VI).
He was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury aged just 17 and remains the only Prince of Wales (heir apparent) to have died in battle. You would love the sight of this place.
6. The Battle Trail
As important as it is for you to visit the other locations, there is still more to come. One of such is the Battle Trail. One of the decisive battles in the Wars of the Roses was fought in fields south of Tewkesbury on May 4, 1471.
The result was a Yorkist victory, ensuring 12 years of stability until the death of Edward IV in 1483. The thrilling thing about Tewkesbury Battlefield is that it sits in the town’s back garden and remains mostly untouched, while the battle was recorded in detail at the time.
A waymarked trail will take you to the key sites, and you are at liberty to pick up a Battle Trail leaflet from the tourist information centre.
The Bloody Meadow beside the Colnbrook is the scene of the gruesome final route of the Lancastrian Army as they tried to escape across the Severn.
For the full inside story, you can join the Tewkesbury Battlefield Society for its monthly guided walk.
7. Tewkesbury Heritage and Visitor Centre
In a beautiful half-timbered house, the Heritage Centre is the place to go for local history and facts about Tewkesbury’s rich architectural heritage.
You’ll go on a whirlwind trip through time, learning about the area’s earliest human inhabitants but also getting to know the complicated background of the Wars of the Roses and English Civil War.
You’ll be handed a media player when you enter and will be led around by Mr Bartholomew Read, a 17th-century resident.
Kids will get to try on helmets and armour, while you can have a go at embossing a Medieval coat of arms and play a game of Medieval top trumps.
You’ve got no other option than to visit this place when you arrive.
8. John Moore Museum
Just next to Tewkesbury Abbey are the Abbey Cottages, a row of lovely half-timbered houses dating to the 1410s. The museum inside was founded in the 1980s in memory of the local naturalist and author John Moore, celebrated for his writing on the countryside.
In that spirit of conservation, the museum has specimens of the mammals and birds native to Gloucestershire’s farmland, woodland and wetlands.
Children can find out what badger fur or hedgehog prickles feel like, and see how moles’ smooth fur helps them squeeze through tunnels.
There’s also a small collection of agricultural tools, and a cosy cottage garden, planted with traditional species.
9. The Roses
Doubling as a stage theatre and a cinema, the Roses presents more than 5,000 movies and live performances a year. This modernist building from the 1970s was transformed in 2015 with a new facade and a coffee shop.
The main auditorium seats 375 and along with local choirs and theatre productions, books touring dance companies, plays, musicians, comedians and cultural figures for talks.
The Roses Theatre is also deeply involved in the community, organising some 5,000 theatre and dance classes for local children and teenagers every year.
The cinema screens live screenings from West End theatres and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as new independent films.
As a footnote, the much loved Eric Morecambe gave his final performance at the Roses in May 1984, before collapsing from a heart attack just after the curtain came down.
10. Tewkesbury Town Museum
Another 17th-century house is the evocative setting for the town museum, which is as eclectic as they come and investigates many aspects of Tewkesbury’s past.
You can get to know the polar explorer Raymond Priestley, one of the few survivors of Captain Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913). Added to that is a diagram of the Battle of Tewkesbury made in 1871 to mark its 500th anniversary, and a masterful scale model of a fairground scene, put together over five years in the 1950s to celebrate the town’s market heritage.
Also, on the show are the maquettes made for the early designs of the sculpture, which we’ll cover below.
11. Tewkesbury Nature Reserve
The reserve is on the floodplain of the River Swilgate and is being improved to provide a haven for wildlife just about a stone’s throw from the town centre. You would be offending yourself if you don’t visit this place.
Already 68 bird species have been recorded at the site, and more will surely follow when the wetland habitat takes shape.
As part of the project, new meanders have been excavated to allow reedbeds to take hold, and eventually, these will be home to otters and reed warblers.
In the meantime, you can pay a visit to see the progress and read the signs to find out about species that have already made their home here.
12. The Severn Ham
You can cross over to this large island between the Severn and Avon in the summer. Things are trickier in the winter because the meadow is flooded for months on end.
Out here, you’ll feel like you’re escaping to the unbounded countryside, only a few hundred metres from the centre of town.
There’s also a photogenic view back to the Romanesque tower of the Abbey, with the Abbey Mill and a signature terrace of half-timbered houses in the foreground.
In summer there’s a sprinkle of colour created by wildflowers like lady’s smock and meadow buttercup, all flourishing in the Severn’s alluvium. Go check out what I’m saying for yourself.
13. Victoria Pleasure Gardens
Next to the abbey on the bank of the Avon is a park laid out for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. There’s a pergola, decorative urns, flowerbeds and a set of three iron arches erected in 2012 to celebrate the diamond jubilee of another queen, Elizabeth II.
The layout is mostly Victorian, although the bandstand, railings and a commemorative cannon were all removed for scrap in the Second World War.
At the riverside, you can contemplate the Abbey Mill just upriver and established in 1795. To the north and west is the open expanse of the Severn Ham meadows, behind which rises the Malvern Hills, made up of some of the most ancient rocks in England.
You know you should explore this location right?
14. Tewkesbury Medieval Festival
The main event of the summer season in Tewkesbury is the largest Medieval reenactment in Europe.
In mid-July, this two-day recreation of the Battle of Tewkesbury takes place at the very spot where it was fought in 1471. Thousands of people take part in the battle, fighting in a haze of gunpowder, armed with pikes, swords and bows.
But there’s much more going on, like a historically accurate Medieval camp, where many of the participants and their families spend two whole days living in the 15th century.
Entertainment is provided by jugglers, jesters, dancers and musicians, while the Medieval Market sells old-time cookware, clothing, accessories, games and musical instruments.
Ales and cider flow in the Beer Tent, while there are period games and arts and crafts for youngsters at the children’s activity tent.
15. Croft Farm Water Park
On the site of an old gravel and sand quarry a mile north of Tewkesbury, there’s a lake with a holiday community on its shores.
You don’t have to be a resident to make use of the Royal Yachting Association-accredited water sports centre, which hires out equipment and offers tuition for a menu of activities like stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing and kayaking, windsurfing and sailing.
If you are new to any of these activities you can book a short “taster” course, to learn basic skills, safety and theory.
16. Odessa Inn.
If you never knew what it meant to walk into a pub some thirty years ago, then, you should check out the Odessa Inn.
Here, you will get a decent welcome and be guided to some of the finest beers and ciders. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are surely good times to visit this place.
opens: 4pm
Address: Gloucester Rd, Tewkesbury GL20 7DA, United Kingdom.
17. Bookworms Tewkesbury.
This is Tewkesbury’s independent store for used books that I recommend you visit. Their Varied range of second-hand and fairly used books is exceptional. Their collection cover travel and local interest books, modern fiction, historical and political biographies etcetera.
You can browse their online shop, volunteer with them or send in your donations. All of that is much welcomed.
Closure time: 4 pm
Address: 150 High St, Tewkesbury GL20 5JP, United Kingdom.
18. Helens Allsort:
Go check out exclusive things to purchase at this fabulous location.
Opening time: 10 am to 6 pm.
Address: 13 Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5PA.
19. Sarah Brown Glass.
At this location, With just a payment of 75 pounds, you will be allowed to learn the art of glass making and fusing, the use of first and how to also hand draw on the glass. The Fee description also comprises materials, Tea, coffee etc.
Opening time: 10 am Every Friday
Address: Dale House Brendon Rd, Tewkesbury GL20 5BX, United Kingdom.
20. Virgin Balloon Flights:
With stunning views over the Costwolds, River Alvon Valley and Cheltenham, your virgin balloon travel promises to be a memorable one. As you soar Higher and higher and take a 360° view from the altitudes, you will find out that the market town of Tewkesbury is such a pretty place to be.
21. Tewkesbury Park Health Club:
Your health matters. As such, you shouldn’t let anything stop you from visiting this place. Go and discover what makes you healthy. Anyway, booking is required.
For that, you will have to take steps at least a month before you arrive to be on the safer side. All you need to do is go online and do your Tewkesbury park booking.
Address: Park Lincoln Green Ln, Tewkesbury GL20 7DN, United Kingdom.
22. Conderton Pottery:
This pottery came into existence in 1985 when Toff and Georgina were in search of pottery premises. They were lucky to have found the old forge buildings in Conderton empty and almost derelict. This location is what has now turned into the pottery-making and showroom site of today.
Closure time: 5 pm
Address: Conderton Pottery, the old forge, Conderton GL20 7PP, United Kingdom.
23. The Paint Pot:
Go and enjoy some painting experience at the paint pot in Tewksbury. For those who love to paint, this is definitely one of the best and fun thing to do in the city.
Not only will you fin wonderful tools for painting, you will also find amazing colors to choose from in order to make your painting work easier, more productive and fun.
Address: 74 Barton Street, Tewkesbury GL20 5PY, United Kingdom.
24. Schmoo in the Country:
This is one stunning Spa located within the Hilton Puckrup hall which can be found on the edge of the Cotswolds parkland. This a good place to be pampered in the city when you visit.
If you want to get some facials or your nails done, a visit to this spa is a must as you will have this needs well catered for. You can also get your full body massage here as well.
Closing time: 6 pm.
Address: Puckrup Ln, Tewkesbury GL20 6EL, United Kingdom.
25. Sherdons Golf Centre:
Do you love playing Golf? Then, you should book a Golf round and spend some quality leisure time on the field. You are guaranteed to meet other golf lovers here as well. You will enjoy yourself and that is certain.
You can also link up with some team of people who enjoy playing golf as well. The place is very massive and truly spacious, aside golf, you will find the serene environment to be very therapeutic.
Closure time: 9 pm
Address: Trenton, Tewkesbury GL20 7BP, United Kingdom.
26. Severn Leisure Cruises:
This business is a family-owned enterprise that has been in operation since 1979. They offer Day cruises and trips around Tewkesbury on Boats and are sure to give you that high level of customer satisfaction that you desire.
You will get to meet a lot of people who love to cruise as well and you will have a beautiful ride.
Address: The Boathouse Waterside, Upton upon Severn, Worcester WR8 0HG, United Kingdom.
27. Tewkesbury Art Studios:
This is an independent enterprise run by an Artist named Jane. Her services include workshops, courses, kids’ classes as well as one-to-one mentoring. You should visit this place if you indeed love art.
Address: 1b Station Rd, Tewkesbury GL20 5DR Station road, United Kingdom.
28. Arctic Quest Sled Dogs Adventure:
For some fun time memories, you’ve got to visit this location. Arctic Quest is the only company in the United company that offers all levels of experience as it relates to sledge Dog racing. So, you should maximize the opportunity.
29. Malt House Emporium:
They are based in Ashchurch, Tewksbury and have a place full of Antiques, collectables, modern-day furniture etc. You can find just about anything you need in this emporium.
You should go purchase some items there. As you will get to see a lot of varieties in the emporium.
Closure time: 5 pm
Address: Northway gate, Unit 2, Tewkesbury Retail Park, Ashchurch Road, Ashchurch GL20 8UY, united kingdom.
READ ALSO: 43 Best And Fun Things To Do In Milford
30. The Yew Tree Pub and restaurant:
If you are looking for a place to get the best food, fresh real ales, good wine and a variable selection of malt Whiskeys, then, the Yew tree pub and restaurant is a sure bet for you.
Here you will enjoy some delicacies and freshly cooked foods that you will forever remember for life. You will also get to meet a lot of locals at the restaurant.
Closure time: 10 pm.
Address: Albion Rd, West Bromwich B70 8QX, United Kingdom.
31. Victoria Pleasure Gardens:
This location is a well-kept expanse of land that is very appropriate for a stop over especially when you have to reflect on something. You will definitely love the serenity of the place.
A lot of people get to visit this place, although its usually not crowded but it is also not a very lonely place.
32. Showborough House Sculpture Gardens:
You will see a lot of beautiful and amazing sculpture that will make you excited and happy at the same time. Some of the world’s most iconic sculptures are found here
Address: Twyning GL20 6DN, United Kingdom
33. Tewkesbury Library:
Would you mind doing some study during your stay in Tewkesbury? If yes, then, you should visit the city’s Library. Stocked with some of the best books there is in the world, you will definitely find interesting reading.
Books that can help better your understanding of the city in general and that also teaches you a lot about the history of the city are found in this library as well.
Closure time: 7 pm.
Address: Sun St, Tewkesbury GL20 5NX, United Kingdom.
conclusion
Having come to know about some of the best and fun activities to engage in when you visit Tewkesbury, ensure to make your stay memorable and get as much fun as you can possibly have while in the city.
Stay safe and Happy Travels!
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