Tewkesbury Heritage & Visitor Centre
Situated right at the heart of the town, the Heritage & Visitor Centre is the perfect place to start your visit to Tewkesbury. As well as a journey through the town’s history in the beautifully-restored 17th century building, the Visitor Centre team is on hand to help you with every element of your trip.
A self-guided tour around the Heritage Centre will take you through the history of Tewkesbury’s earliest settlers, give an insight into the Wars of the Roses and the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, reveal the town’s links to the Civil War, show how the industrial revolution affected the commercial prosperity of the community before bringing you back to the present day.
Information panels guide you through the story of Bartholomew Read, one of the previous owners of the building. For children, there are games and activities including battle top trumps and embossing machines.
The Heritage Centre is home to the Tewkesbury Stitch Story. This ambitious project connects the community through the power of a needle and thread and was an amazing opportunity to share the art and craft of embroidery with a whole town, eventually reaching over 8,000 participants.
The 6 metre long hand embroidery was worked on in venues all over the town, from schools to care homes, running clubs to markets and from pantomimes to council meetings. The townsfolk were just asked to add one stitch, to make their mark on the work. The illustration, designed by Sam Morris, explores the landmarks and history of the town. These landmarks are the stories of the town and Stitch Story gives a chance to share those stories.
In the Visitor Centre there are full details of all Tewkesbury’s other attractions, a host of guides, maps and leaflets as well as a selection of gifts to buy. The team can help with all the advice you need to make the most of your stay along with help in locating accommodation, reserving coach tickets and information on places to visit close by.
100 Church Street, Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 5AB
Summer Opening: 1st April - 31st October: Monday to Saturday 10am-4pm
Winter Opening: 1st November – 31st March: Mon, Tues, Fri & Sat 10am – 4pm
Tel: 01684 855040
