A Brief Holiday – Day One

Day One (15^th October 2013) - Part 2

Welcome to Tewkesbury, a town in Gloucestershire,   where you can still find the occasional horse on the streets (well I saw one :-)).

We had a coca-cola (bottled with ice and lemon, of course) in the Tudor Rose.  

 

The interior celebrates the Battle of Shrewsbury (Oops I meant Tewkesbury - thanks Helen) of 1471 which was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV. The Lancastrian heir to the throne, Edward, Prince of Wales, and many prominent Lancastrian nobles were killed during the battle or were dragged from sanctuary two days later and immediately executed. The Lancastrian King, Henry VI, who was a prisoner in the Tower of London, died or was murdered shortly after the battle. Tewkesbury restored political stability to England until the death of Edward IV in 1483.

This 16th century Tudor building has a rich history. It also has a number of spirits lurking its corridors. The ghost of a dog, a one time maid who likes to tuck people into bed, and the spirit of a young boy have all been reported... 

The original foundations of the Tudor House, were laid in 1540, however main building was built sometime in the 17th century. Front elevations were added in 1701, and restoration was carried out in 1897. An interesting thing to note, is that the door leading to the garden has axe marks, believed to made by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers. The Tudor House was turned into a hotel in 1926.

Nearby, Gloucestershire’s oldest inn is the Black Bear which dates back to 1308.

Tewkesbury stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook.

The River Avon runs through (and sometimes over) Tewkesbury.  Just across the fields is the River Severn which also has a habit of running through the streets of the town.  

The building on the right in the above picture is the one in which William Shakespeare (the twentieth century one) founded his powerboat building company.  But of greater interest from the point of view of flooding is that the water reached half way up the double doors on July 22^nd 2009.

The classic English Shakespeare speed boats are named after their designer, William Shakespeare. William, or Bill, raced powerboats from 1960 until 1971 when he was tragically killed on Lake Windermere while practicing for the Windermere Grand Prix. The year before, he had set the world speed record of 104 mph (90 knots).

This iron bridge was built in 1822 and leads to the flour mill.

 A little alleyway.

Another inn sign.

This warning sign delighted me.

Even more so because next to it was a door with this notice.   

If no one is supposed to go in who is likely to be coming out???

Day two soon.....