Cheltenham
Festival including
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Racecourse
Prestbury Park
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL50 4SH
Tel: 01242 513014
Fax: 01242 224227
Email: cheltenham@rht.net
Website: www.Cheltenham.co.uk
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Bredon
Hill
Standing over
the level expanses of the Vale of Evesham, its position makes it
ideal for a circular trip by bike or car, the route round the picturesque
villages packed with plenty to do and see.
In Beckford, for example, visitors can watch silk being hand-painted,
while in neighbouring Conderton the craft of pottery can be observed
at close quarters in Toff Milway’s studio.
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Antiquities
also abound. In Bredon there is a 144ft tithe barn, Great Comberton
boasts a dovecote with the largest number of nestholes - 1,524 - in
Britain, and at Ashton-under-Hill there is an old preaching cross.
All the villages around Bredon Hill claim the title of prettiest village
in Worcestershire, and all have just cause.
Footpaths criss-cross the hill from every village and the summit is
marked by Parson’s Folly, an 18th Century tower that sits in
the middle of an Iron Age fort.
Nearby is the Banbury Stone, a huge slab of rock also known as the
elephant stone or the King and Queen stone. Legend has it that it
goes down to drink from the River Avon when it hears Pershore Abbey
clock strike midnight. |
Beckford
Silk
A unique country workshop for the hand printing of silk and other
fine textiles. A visitor centre with retail shop, café and
workrooms freely open to the public.
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Beckford, Nr Tewksbury, Gloucestershire, GL20
7AU
Tel: 44-(0)1386 881507 Fax: 44-(0)1386 882019 Web site: http://www.beckfordsilk.co.uk |
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Visit Cheltenham
Tourism's on-line guide to England's Regency Spa town. Cheltenham
is renowned for its stylish shopping, colourful parks, floral displays,
horseracing, festivals and special events.
On the tourist information web site you can discover the Romantic
Road to the Cotswolds, book your accommodation, a walking tour or
a scenic coach tour, order a map or guide and find out about local
events and attractions. |
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Cheltenham
became a spa town in 1716.
According to tradition, the first medicinal
waters were discovered when locals saw
pigeons pecking at salty deposits which
had formed around a spring. The town
received Royal patronage in 1788 when
King George III came to drink the waters. |
Evesham
A pleasant town,
with shopping area, on a bend of the river Avon, with a waterside
park. The countryside around the town has fruit orchards, making
the area very attractive to travel through in spring when the blossom
is out.
In the town, go under Abbots Reginalds Gateway from the market to
the remains of the abbey founded in AD 708. The statue on the green
is for Simon de Montfort, founder of the British parliament. |
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Evesham's
place in history was assured when the Battle of Evesham was fought
here in 1265. This final conflict in the Baron's War saw the forces
of Simon de Montfort trapped in a loop of the river by troops under
the command of Prince Edward (later Edward I). The royal army destroyed
the rebels utterly, and de Montfort's torso was brought for burial
to the abbey. The battlefield is slightly north of the town, in
an area now called Greenhill.
The town itself
is more Georgian in character than medieval, though several fine
timber-framed houses remain from the earlier period. The Round House
is a twin-gabled 15th century merchants house, while the Almonry
is an even earlier 14th century building that once was home to the
Abbey Almoner. It now houses the Evesham Tourist Information Centre
and a small museum tracing the history of the town, the abbey, and
the battle.
CONTACT
Evesham Tourist Information Centre
The Almonry
Abbey Gate
Evesham
Worcestershire
WR11 4BG
Tel. No: 01386 446944
Fax. No: 01386 442348
http://www.evesham.uk.com |
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