History and Architecture of Tewkesbury Abbey
Although the Abbey was founded in
1087 by nobleman Robert FitzHamon, building of the present Abbey did not start
until 1102. Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman Abbey was near
completion when consecrated in 1121. Embellishments to the long nave roof and the apsidal chancel were made in the first half of the 14th century in the Decorated style. After the dissolution in 1540 most of the claustral buildings and the Lady Chapel were quarried for their materials but the Abbey Church was sold to the parishioners for £453. Changes made since then to the internal configuration have developed to reflect contemporary styles of devotion, currently of the Anglo-Catholic persuasion.
Abbey House
Lying at the southern edge of the old town, the Abbey quietly dominates the land and skyline with its long nave “probably the largest and finest Romanesque tower in England” (Pevsner). Vestiges of its social domination can be deduced from the layout of the streets and buildings, and the occasional relic; the Abbot’s gatehouse, the Abbey Mill, The vicarage and the Tudor-style dwellings in Church Street. The area surrounding the Abbey is protected from development by the Abbey Lawn Trust, originally funded by a United States benefactor.
Two styles of architecture dominate the Abbey; the Norman piers and arches of the eight-bay Nave (completed in 1121) and the Decorated-style chancel, imposed on the previous work in the 14th century,
where the original medieval windows still exist in their original form. At this time the nave roof was
also reconstructed as lierne vaulting, with naïve narrative and decorative bosses as keystones, untouched by decay or iconoclasts.
The tombs and chantry chapels, of high-quality work from 1350-1450, surround the chancel
and reflect the prestige attached by local aristocracy (especially de Clare, Le Despencer, Beauchamp, Warwick and Neville) to
such memorials. The Early English and Perpendicular architectural styles are
also represented in the fabric of the Abbey; regions around the north transept
and Abbot Alan's Tomb being from the 13th century, while three of the chantry
chapels can be seen to display impressive masonry from the late 14th to early
15th centuries.
The
Gatehouse in
Abbey Precinct
After the monastery at Tewkesbury Abbey was
dissolved the building experienced cycles of decay and revival over the
following centuries. Some of the more dramatic moments included the
collapse of the tower spire (1559), the insertion of the current west window -
but not the current stained glass - (1686), and the restoration by Sir George
Gilbert Scott (1875-9). The latter incident was not as much a
'restoration' but the creation of a new, less Puritanical, interior. Of the
many alterations made by Scott the most apparent were the replacement of the
screen with an open screen nearer the altar, the moving of the Milton Organ, the
stripping of the interior distemper, the removal of the 18th century pews and
transferral of the monastic pews to the chancel, partial restoration of the
vaults, and the relaying of the floor throughout the church. In the same period
Revd. Charles Grove donated the west window stained glass, the lectern and the
organ which is now named after him. The parishioners also contributed by
providing the current Jubilee clock in 1887.
The
modern era has seen conservation replace restoration. Rather than create a
new environment around the Abbey the focus has been to conserve the environment
that already exists. This has involved much expensive work in recent times, and
will involve much more in the future. Within the past quarter of a century the nave vault has been
cleaned, the roofs have been repaired, stained glass in both the chancel and
west window has been conserved, the west window has been rebuilt and
strengthened, and the Milton Organ has been restored. These are just some of the
larger projects that have been undertaken - small scale conservation work is a
continuous exercise for a building as large as Tewkesbury Abbey. The future will
see major conservation work on the walls of the tower, the transepts, and the
south side of the Abbey. There will also be considerable adjustments to various
parts of the Abbey to improve access for less able people. All this work will,
hopefully, help to maintain Tewkesbury Abbey as a beautiful and spiritual haven
for many people from around the world.