|
WHAT more beautiful way of exploring the Vale of Evesham, and beyond, than by cruising the River Avon in anyone of the number of craft that are for hire - several of which provide their own commentary on local sites of interests and nature reserves. Equally interesting are the delightful pubs and hotels that lie along the riverbanks - each one tranquil and giving a unique perspective of the Vale.
The journey begins at Abbot's Salford so named because Richard Hawkesbury, Abbot of Evesham 1467 - 1477, built nearby Salford Hall as a country retreat. As we cruise through the flood plains we see Cleeve Prior Hill on the eastern bank, which is covered in mature woodland and home to a wide variety of wildlife.
Interactive River and Town Map |
 |
|
The River Avon rises near Nasbey in Northhamptonshire and winds its way through Rugby and Warwick to Stratford, where the modern navigation begins. |
 |
|
On the western bank, the village church of Harvington can be seen, high above the floodplain, while Harvington Weir heralds Robert Aikman New Lock. The old lock is now used as a dry dock and the disused mill, nearby, once had six sets of stones and was powered by two undershot wheels. A short reach brings us to the George Billington Lock, which bypasses the ford opposite the Fish and Anchor Pub at Offenham. The ford is passable for off road vehicles and walkers who can link up with the Avon Valley footpath that runs the length of the Upper Avon.
There are delightful all-season walks all along the river which link up with the town. A short way below the new lock lies the old one - now quietly disintegrating and providing a haven for wildlife; moorhen, coot, sandpiper, tufted duck, little and great crested grebes; kingfisher, mallard, heron, mute swan and Canada geese can all be seen the along length of the river. In the shallows and backwaters of the river lilies, rushes and reeds flourish, while the banks are home to wildflowers such as purple loostrife, comfrey, great willowherb and Himalayan balsam - the tall and impressive intruder that causes many problems on local waterways.
|
|
|
Naigation of the avon has been possible since the 15th century, with boats trading heavy goods and fuel to the market towns along its banks. Over the centuries it has been derelict several times but was fully restored in the 1950s, by the navigational trusts, when the both lower and the upper avon were opened to traffic. |
|
|
|
Soon the banks start to fall away revealing the open fields of the ancient village of Offenham. In 702 Offenham was endowed to Evesham Abbey and held continuously by the abbots until its dissolution in 1540.
Along the western banks can be seen the remains of ancient apple orchards leading up to Twyford Country Park. Here, a wealth of interest awaits the visitor, including the Evesham Vale Light Railway, Vale Wildlife Rescue Centre and an array of delightful shops and restaurants. Along the eastern bank, we come to the Bridge Inn, at Offenham, with its attractive gardens overlooking the river towards the site of the great Battle of Evesham. On August 4th 1265, Simon de Montfort was killed at the top of Greenhill, fighting the king's army, for his belief in a more representative government Simon had already captured Henry III at the Battle of Lewes and had brought him to Evesham as prisoner. During the Battle the king was nearly killed by one of his own soldiers who were being led by his son Edward. Following Simon's slaughter, his soldiers tried to escape by running through the fields to Offenham, only to drown in the Avon.
Opposite The Bridge Inn is a small island called Dead Mans' Ait where many skeletons of men and horses are said to have been found. An axe head from the Battle of Evesham was recently discovered nearby and can be seen in the Almonry Heritage Centre in Evesham. |
On the eastern bank, set within the original 12th century deer park of the Abbey is the Riverside Hotel - truly one of the best-kept secrets of the Vale. In 1483 Abbot Norton decreed that on the anniversary of his death the Abbey brethren should receive one doe from the deer park at Offenham. From here are sweeping views across the Vale and the Cotswold escarpment. At this point the Worcester to London main railway crosses the river. It was the rail companies, who pioneered these lines in the 1850s, that were the first real competition for the cargo trade on the river. Heading now towards the pretty market town of Evesham - once home to one of the finest abbey's in the land. The town derives its name from an Anglo Saxon swineherd, Eof, who was said to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary on the banks of the River Avon. Legend tells that it was Eof's vision that led, directly, to the foundation of the Abbey in 702.
|
Ham was the Saxon name given to a piece of land in the loop of a river. This ham provided such a superb defensive position that Evesham grew to become a strategic town through the ages. And so the Avon flows on; on past Evesham Sailing Club, Evesham Marina and Weir Meadow Caravan Park before reaching the weir and Evesham lock with its unusual triangular lock keeper's house. This is the toll point between the Upper and Lower Avon navigations, which have been separately managed since the river became navigable. |
|
|
|
The upper Avon navigation runs for 24 miles from Stratford through nine locks to Evesham where the lower Avon continues for 26 miles through seven locks to Tewkesbury and the river Severn |
|
|
|
|
During the civil war the strategically important bridge at Evesham was destroyed twice and the river blocked by the king's army as they retreated from the Roundheads in 1644. Massey eventually took Evesham in 1645 but it wasn't until Cromwell's death that the navigation was restored and opened to trade. Henry Workman built today's bridge, in 1856, funded by public subscription. Then, the river beneath the bridge was a maze of shallows and treacherous currents, so Workman had it dredged into one channel and constructed the public park beside the river with the dredgings.
|
Today, Workman Gardens are lined with avenues of Lime trees and cater for walkers, anglers and boaters alike -
as well as being the main venue for the town's annual Medieval, Historic Air Balloons / Cars / Boats and Eastern Festivals in June and River Festival in July. Near to the bridge, on the eastern bank, is the recently restored public quay, which, for centuries, was the landing stage for goods brought up the river from the sea, via the River Severn at Tewkesbury. Beside the quay once stood Bengeworth Castle, built by the Norman baron, William de Beauchamp, and destroyed by abbot William de Anderville, (abbot of Evesham 1149 1159), in retaliation for de Beauchamp having vandalised the abbey and stolen valuable artifacts from the church. For this, de Beauchamp was excommunicated and the abbot consecrated a burial ground on the site of his castle. Disembark near Workman Bridge and you can stroll up Port Street to find the remains of Bengeworth village with its ancient monuments near the old village green (now the site of the Talbot pub). In Church Street, are the remains of the 13th century tower and porch of the original St Peter's church, dismantled by the Victorians in 1872 in order to build the new St Peter's nearby.
Opposite the porch can be seen the remains of Bengeworth Manor - once owned by King Cnut. Returning, down the hill, to Workman Gardens, look across the river and see beautiful Abbey Park, with its 16th century bell tower, and 12th century churches - which escaped destruction by Henry VIII's commissioners. Here, on the grassy slopes, stood one of Britain's finest abbeys - almost totally destroyed by Henry VIII's commissioners in 1540.
A frequent visitor to Evesham Abbey, during the reign of King Cnut, was Lady Godiva (Godgifu). Prior Efic, of Evesham, was Godiva's friend and father confessor. When he died, the Evesham Chronicle records that he was buried, in Evesham in the presence of Lady Godiva, in the church that she built. The most likely place for this church, which was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was adjoining the Abbey, but some historians think that Godiva built either the church at Hampton or the original 11th century church at Bengeworth. Looking across the green lawns of Abbey Park you can see the remains of the cloister arch and some of the ancient surrounding walls. Nearby is a substantial portion of the Abbey Gatehouse next to the Almonry - now the town's Heritage Centre. Also along this western side of the river is the long established Evesham Rowing Club, founded in 1863. The surrounding meadows are home to the internationally renown three-day Fishing Festival, held on August Bank Holiday, which attracts more than 30,000 visitors.
|
|
|
In the 1900s there were four steamer companies operating numerous baots from Evesham. Today there are trip boats that head boths ways from town, linking local Pubs, Restaurants and Tourist attractions. |
|
|
|
As the river loops around Evesham it passes under the 'new' Abbey Road Bridge - the first bridge to be constructed in concrete in Britain and opened by the Rt Hon Col W. Ashley, Mp, Minister of Transport, in 1928.
As we arrive at the historic rope-hauled Hampton ferry, it is not hard to imagine the monks of Evesham, who founded the ferry, harvesting their grapes as they ripened on the sheltered slopes of Clarks Hill. Today, you can still see the horizontal steps along the hillside that remain from the abbey vineyards. First past the ferry, we come to Evesham Sports Club with its bowling green and cricket and rugby pitches. And we pass, again, under the main Cotswold Line and on past the historic Abbey Manor, on the eastern side of the river - whose boat sheds and pump house can still be seen among the modern buildings of Sankey Marine. |
Soon we arrive at Chadbury Lock and Mill, which sit, picturesquely, at either end of the weir - recently renovated, along with Evesham's and Fladbury's, by the Weirs Trust. Through the trees, can be seen Wood Norton Hall - once home to the exiled French Duc d'Aumale and, later, his great nephew, the Duc d'Orleans, pretender to the throne of France. Purchased by the BBC in 1939 the Hall served as an emergency broadcasting studio with six studios and a monitoring station. Nearly destroyed by fire in 1940 it was not until 1994 that the Hall was truly restored to its former glory. Today it is a luxury hotel and conference centre, with outbuildings still being used as a BBC training centre. The meadows below the hall have been restored to lowland wetlands by a local wildlife trust, and now provide habitat for an increasing variety of birds such as warblers, buntings and flycatchers. The woodlands, above, are home to owls, tits, hawks and woodpecker - the most commonly seen being the green woodpecker, or Yaffle, with its raucous laugh and distinctive, looping flight. Look hard, and you may spot foxes, badger or a Roe, Fallow or Muntjack deer, or, if you are lucky, a rare glimpse of the otters, which are re-appearing along the River Avon. Next, Evesham Golf Club comes into view and extends down the river below Craycombe House, built in the 1770's by George Perrott the younger; whose father was a pioneer of the early navigation. Fladbury village was home to William Sandys who, in the early 16th century, set about constructing the viable navigation to feed the industrial areas in the midlands.
 |
Two mills at Fladbury Weir served the adjacent parish of Cropthorne. Neither works today, but Fladbury mill uses a turbine to generate electricity, which used to be sold back to the grid, and is now used to power the house. Passing The Anchor pub, with its delightful riverside gardens, we come to the village of Wyre Piddle, and on to the pretty market town of Pershore - famous for its Georgian architecture and beautiful Abbey founded in 618. And so, the Warwickshire Avon meanders on, looping around Bredon Hill to Tewkesbury, where now the landscape changes, to reveal panoramic views, as the river widens towards its meeting with the River Severn. |