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Evesham ()BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names is a market town and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening.
The town was founded around an 8th-century Evesham Abbey, one of the largest in Europe, which was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, with only Abbot Lichfield's Bell Tower remaining. During the 13th century, one of the two main battles of the Second Barons' War took place near Evesham, marking the victory of Prince Edward, who later became Edward I of England; this was the Battle of Evesham.
The town centre, situated within a meander of the river, is subjected regularly to flooding. The 2007 floods were the most severe in the town's history.[1]. Badsey Society. Accessed 3 January 2025 As at the 2021 census, Evesham has a population of 27,684.
An entry in the Domesday Book of 1086 lists Evesham, mentioning: "Two free men; Two radmen; Abbey of St Mary of Evesham; Abbey of St Mary of Pershore; Edmund, Abbot of St Mary of Pershore; Walter, Abbot of St Mary of Evesham; Aethelwig, Abbot of St Mary of Evesham; King William as donor; Odo, Bishop of Bayeux; Ranulph; Turstin, Abbot of St Mary of Pershore; Walter Ponther; Westminster, Gilbert Crispin, Abbot of St Peter."
The abbey was redeveloped and extended after the Norman Conquest, employing many tradesmen and significantly contributing to the growth of Evesham. Income for the abbey came from to the abbey to celebrate the vision and visitors to the tomb of Simon de Montfort. As a result of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, Evesham Abbey was dismantled in 1540 and sold as building stone, leaving little but the Lichfield Bell Tower. The abbey remains are a Scheduled Ancient Monument (no. WT253); parts of the abbey complex, Abbot Reginald's Wall (registered monument) and the ruins of Abbot Chryton's Wall (Grade II), are managed by English Heritage. The abbey's coat of arms is used as the crest of Prince Henry's High School. Two surviving buildings with links to the abbey are the Middle Littleton Tythe Barn and the Almonry Museum and Heritage Centre, which is housed in the old almonry of the abbey and also displays artefacts from excavations there.
The River Avon at Evesham has always been susceptible to heavy flooding, which is well documented from the 13th century. In May 1924, floods at Evesham ranked fifth in the annual flood list 1848 to 1935. In May 1998, Evesham was one of the towns worst hit by record flooding along the River Avon. The river rose in just a few hours, sinking tethered , flooding areas of Bengeworth and threatening the 19th-century Workman Bridge, as static homes from a riverside caravan site broke up and became wedged in its arches. In July 2007, Evesham had its heaviest rainfall for 200 years, reaching more than 320% of the average in some areas. In the Severn catchment, it caused some of the heaviest floods recorded; in Evesham, the flooding was the worst in its recorded history.
Between 1983 and 2008, Evesham was home to computer manufacturer Evesham Micros, later renamed Evesham Technology. It was a significant contributor to the United Kingdom's domestic computer and digital television market. At its peak, the company employed up to 300 people with a chain of 19 retail stores in towns and cities throughout the UK. It went into liquidation in 2008.
Evesham's town centre provides a number of food outlets and some retail along its traditional high street and the Riverside Shopping Centre, though the latter is struggling with only 9 of the 40 units being occupied as of May 2024.
Evesham is home to several out-of-town retail parks that draw shoppers away from the centre; these include Four Pools Lane Retail Park, Evesham Shopping Park, the Sinclair Retail Park, Charity Crescent Retail Park and The Valley. The Valley formerly Evesham Country Park, is a large retail and leisure park with a diversity of stores, restaurants and cafés. The Vale includes the Evesham Vale Light Railway miniature railway.
Work began in September 2013 to replace the Abbey Bridge, which was completed in March 2014.
The nearest motorway is the M5, which signs Evesham from junction 6 southbound (with the A449 at Worcester), as well as from junction 9 northbound (with the A435 at Tewkesbury).
The middle school send pupils to complete their secondary education at The De Montfort School and Prince Henry's High School, which originated as a grammar school established by the monastery and was re-founded by Henry VIII after the Dissolution.
The Vale of Evesham School, operated by Worcestershire County Council, caters for children from the area aged 2 – 19 with special needs, and learning disabilities.
Further education is provided by Evesham College, part of the Warwickshire College Group following the merger with South Worcestershire College (previously known as Evesham and Malvern Hills College) which caters mainly for students studying at the NVQ and BTEC level or undertaking practical vocational courses.
The nearest higher education providers are the University of Worcester and the University of Gloucestershire. A University of the Third Age was established in 2003, which had 600 members in 2010.
The Henrician Evesham was built in 1979; it is staffed and operated by volunteers and managed by The Prince Henry's Evesham Arts Theatre Trust.
It provides a venue for professional and amateur performance. Events hosted include drama, stand-up comedy, brass bands, orchestras, pantomime and ballet. The centre has a raked 312-seat auditorium, full technical facilities and film projection and a 60-seat studio space for smaller productions. The centre's foyer it is an exhibition space for local artists. The centre was managed by the Evesham Arts Association until 2020. The Henrician Evesham is now managed by Prince Henry's Evesham Arts Theatre Trust, a registered charity.
The Regal Cinema reopened in December 2009. Its Grade II listed building was designed in 1932 by architect Hurley Robinson,
who was responsible for several public buildings in classical and Art Deco styles, including 55 other cinemas; the Regal is the most important surviving example. In 2009, the cinema signed a contract to show all Universal Studios films. It also serves as a community arts centre, offering a programme of music and stand-up comedy.
The other public Art Deco building in the town is the former Plough, which replaced an 18th century public house on the Market Place in 1936. Since then, it became a bar and grill under a variety of different names and has been recently refurbished.Philip Butler, Streamline Worcestershire (2017), ISBN 978-1-9997596-0-5
Medieval Evesham and the Earl of Evesham inspired a novel Winning His Spurs by the historical fiction author G. A. Henty. A more recent novel by Marion Chesney, entitled Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham, takes place largely in Evesham and two of the main characters visit the local sights, with descriptions.Beaton, M. C., Agatha Raisin & the Wizard of Evesham, Robinson Publishing, Local folklore is provided for by the Legend of Evesham surrounding the life of Eof, an 8th-century swineherd credited with the founding of the town, and St Egwin the Bishop of Worcester who founded the abbey and whose feet had been fettered and the key thrown in the River Avon. According to the legend, the key turned up in Rome inside a fish. On returning to Evesham, Egwin declared that a monastery be built on the spot where the key had been cast in the river. A major landmark is the statue of Eof by the Scottish sculptor John McKenna that was funded by the townsfolk and unveiled in the market place in June 2008.
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals can be received from either the Sutton Coldfield or Lark Stoke TV transmitters.
BBC Hereford & Worcester broadcasts on 104 FM and 94.7, while commercial radio stations include Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire on 96.7 FM and Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire on 107.2 FM.
Football is represented by Evesham United F.C., which plays in the Southern Football League Division One South & West. Evesham Utd also run over 20 youth teams, several girls' and women’s teams, several Disability teams and a Walking Football team.
In Rugby Union, there are senior and youth sections at Evesham Rugby Club. There is also a cricket ground. The town also has a pétanque team and a cycling club, Evesham & District Wheelers, which was founded in 1947.
The town is home to various watersports, due to its location on the river, including Evesham Rowing Club, Kayaking & Canoeing provided by the Evesham Paddle Monsters club and Evesham Sailing Club. It has two golf courses: Evesham Golf Club, which is situated outside Fladbury, and Twyford Golf Club, sited just outside Lenchwick. Evesham Vale Running Club holds its 10K race event annually.
The Almonry Museum and Heritage Centre is a local museum that was opened in 1957 and is funded by the council. The museum and the Tourist Information Centre are housed together in a 14th-century half timbered building that was the home of the almoner of Evesham Abbey. Exhibits include many items of local interest including an exhibition themed on the battle of Evesham.
Evesham has a 97-bed community hospital in Waterside, outside the town centre, used mainly by the elderly and for convalescence, although consultants from major Worcester National Health Service hospitals hold clinics there. The hospital maintains a Minor Injuries Unit. The town has three health centres, providing general practitioner first care services, and a dental centre. Evesham also has several nursing homes and for the care of senior citizens. The area is covered by the Midlands Air Ambulance service, which has operated from the site of Strensham motorway services since 1991.
Places of worship
It is possible that the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon Minster Church of Evesham Abbey was founded on the site of an even older church. The medieval town had two parish churches, All Saints and St Lawrence, built within the abbey precinct. Religious establishments in Evesham include All Saints Church, Evesham Baptist Church, Evesham Evangelical Church, Evesham Methodist Church, St Andrew's C of E Church, St Mary & Saint Egwin's Church, St Peter's Church, Vale Of Evesham Christian Centre, the Unitarian Chapel in Oat Street and a Quaker meeting place.
Culture, media and sport
Culture
Evesham had a distinctive dialect, which locals called "Asum Grammar", or "Asum Grammer". The editor of the local newspaper quoted extracts from a fictitious dictionary of the language. In 1891, a glossary was published of words and phrases in south-east Worcestershire, comprising the district around Evesham and Pershore; this publication was itself built on that of an 1882 author identified only as "Mrs Chamberlain". Prior to the 1882 book, little attention had been paid to the dialect of "the old Worcestershire folks", despite it being "interesting and peculiar". A decline in the dialect was already being noted, attributed at that time to standardisation of English schooling, something noted also by later writers on English dialects. The dialect continues to decline, but is stronger in older generations. More recent factors in its decline are attributed to changes in the market gardening scene, where the dialect was to be heard at its fullest, and the impact of television. In the local dialect, "Asum" is a contraction of the town's name. Asum was an ale produced by the now defunct Evesham Brewery. "Eve-shum" is the more common phonetic pronunciation, but "Eve-uh-shum" is not uncommon.
Paintings
The Almonry Museum has an 1825 oil painting by William Robert Earl (1806–1880), which shows a distant view of the town as seen from Greenhill, site of the battle of Evesham. More local views by George Willis-Pryce are on show in the town hall. Dating from the 1890s, they include the gateway to Market Square, the entrance to the town across Workman's Bridge, and the former Hampton Ferry across the Avon. Elsewhere there is an Avon-side painting by Edward Stott in the style of Bastien-Lepage; this is titled "Feeding the Ducks" and dates from 1884, when Stott shared a cottage in North Littleton with fellow painters Walter Osborne and Nathaniel Hill."Stott, Edward", Post-Impressionism, Royal Academy of Art, London (1979-80), pp. 213-14]
Media
Evesham local news has been served since 1860 by the Evesham Journal, which is now part of the Newsquest (Midlands South) Ltd., a subsidiary of Gannett; it is predominantly a weekly free newspaper that is distributed over four counties. In 2007, the weekly free newspaper Evesham Observer was launched by the Midlands-based Observer-Standard series of newspapers, now the family-owned Bullivant Media.
Sport
The Evesham Leisure Centre comprises two swimming pools, a climbing wall, a 100-station fitness room and a health & beauty salon.
Amenities
Evesham Library, managed by Worcestershire Libraries & Learning division of Worcestershire County Council, is located in the town centre and was completely modernised following a closure for refurbishment in January 2011. It offers community services that include an online catalogue, wi-fi internet access, public internet terminals and a mobile library.
Notable people
Twin towns
Evesham is sister city with:
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
External links
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