Above Chadbury Lock (River Avon) – Saturday 22nd July

We woke to a lovely sunny morning – the only trace of the rain was that the river was at the top of the green. 

We cruised down to Evesham, watered up and then moored up.

James and Maisa went off for a walk round the town and to move James’s car.  We had lunch and then also went off for a walk.  I saw on the internet that there was a Saturday market but we only found one clothes stall!  We continued to Abbey grounds.

Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin between 700 and 710 AD following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof.  According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror. Only one section of walling survives from the actual abbey, although fragments of the chapter house, the bell tower and the gateway remain, which were added later: the chapter house in the 13th century and the bell tower in the 16th century. Simon de Montfort (1208–1265) is buried near the high altar of the ruined abbey, the spot marked by an altar-like memorial monument dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1965. The abbey is of Benedictine origin, and became in its heyday one of the wealthiest in the country. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbey was demolished leaving only the bell tower surviving into the 21st century.

In the Abbey grounds are All Saints Church and its neighbour St Lawrence's Church which were built by the Benedictine monks of Evesham Abbey in the 12th century to serve the people of Evesham. All Saints is now the town's parish church, as St Lawrence's was declared redundant in the 1970s.  

All Saints Church

St. Lawrence Church

Church House

 In the Bell Tower there is a carillon which plays on the hour between 9am and 9pm.  Check the website for more information – it’s very interesting.  We were lucky enough to be there at 2pm to hear it.

 

The Bell Tower

From the Bell Tower we walked down to the river through the lovely gardens

To where I was able to take this photo of Mary H.

  

Once James and Maisa returned we set off to try and find somewhere to have a barbeque.  It was pouring with rain but barbeque we would!  The mooring at Chadbury Lock isn’t particularly brilliant so we went on hoping to get in at Craycombe Turn but it was full so we turned round and went back to Chadbury Lock.  After cleaning the goose poo off the pontoon it wasn’t too bad.  Richard lit the barbeque and when it was hot he moved it to under the pram cover (without sides) where he was able to cook in the dry. 

9.66 miles

4 locks