Walk no 5 – 28 August 2026

We walked the old port and market town of Tewkesbury, hosted by the team at Tewkesbury Abbey and CPRE Gloucestershire, followed by tea and cakes and a discussion on ‘living alongside historic floodplains’

August rain: the best of summer gone, and the new fall not yet born, the odd uneven time – Sylvia Plath

After a long, hot and dry summer it was a relief that rain was in the air (though thankfully not too much – we stayed largely dry) as we met just outside Tewkesbury’s historic centre to begin our fifth walk.

Our guide was Geoff Sallis, a citizen scientist and town guide, and he thrilled us with his deep knowledge of Tewkesbury’s history and commitment to its future.

We began by walking along the Mill Avon, the channel of the Severn that was hand-dug in the 11C to serve the Mill of the Abbey, to the old Mill and weir which, with the Abbey, form the historic heart of the town.  It is picturesque, though Geoff pointed out that the bright green plant in the river was floating pennywort, an invasive species that is spreading fast due to high nutrient levels in the water, and no-one wants the expense of clearing and disposing of it.  The river quality is affected by poorly treated sewage and agricultural run-off, and has particularly high phosphate levels which a team of citizen scientists monitors regularly. 

Across the weir is Tewkesbury Ham, the old floodplain and one of the largest Hams in England. It separates the Mill Avon from the mature River Severn and explains Tewkesbury’s historic importance as a port, enabling traffic coming up the Severn and down from the Midlands to be traded and switched between vessels.

The Ham used to flood twice a year which was manageable, but last winter it flooded seven times, and water sat on the Ham for long periods, depositing high nutrient silt and changing the ecosystem. The hay is no longer of good quality and the ecological value of the Ham (an SSSI) is being lost.

We noted that the 15C houses next to the Mill are all elevated – Tewkesbury has long known how to manage flooding – and that the main road used to follow the river.   We admired the bright pennants that decorate most streets, hand painted and put up each for Tewkesbury Mediaeval Festival every July, before being auctioned off to raise money for the following year.

We walked on through a network of tiny streets past the old Quaker burial ground, and noted the site of a previous Quaker Meeting House.  Tewkesbury was famously a place of non-conformism and at one point had 17 non-conformist chapels.  Finding new uses for those that survive is a challenge.   We stopped by the early 19C Stocking Factory, now converted to housing, that was once part of a thriving textile industry.  In the early 19C around 1800 people in the town were employed making stockings, but the industry collapsed when the railways made transporting wool easy, and the industry moved to Nottingham. 

We continued north to the huge, empty Borough Flour Mill (dated 1880 but part is older) which at one time was the most up to date in Europe.  It closed around twenty years ago, and the Borough Council is encouraging new uses, though the fact that it flooded in 2007, exceptionally, is not helping.

We were now becoming aware of the fascinating street pattern in Tewkesbury and we heard about the alleys that characterise the town, originally routes to the open fields surrounding the town, and later consolidated into narrow lanes lined by small cottages and workshops.  At one time there were c150 alleys, each with a well; now only c30 (and two standpipes) survive, though the fact that many do is explained by the long period of economic stagnation after the industry departed and railways (which only came to Ashchurch, not Tewkesbury itself) took the trade from the river.  They are now one of Tewkesbury's most distinctive features.

Captivated by the fascinating history of this town, our last stop was at the Nature Reserve, 44ha right on the edge of town, half bought by Tewkesbury Borough Council and half donated by developers.  It’s a fantastic resource, and was particularly important during lockdown.  Two streams run through it:  Swilgate and Tirlebrook, and it’s being managed for wildlife, though dog walkers pose challenges.

Tewkesbury is a small borough, and we were impressed by the love and commitment shown by so many to this fascinating place.

Back at the Abbey (after viewing two stunning trees – a copper beech and mulberry) we enjoyed delicious tea and cakes before settling down for a discussion, led by Emma Ash, Mayor of Tewkesbury, and Martin Collet, CEO of English Rural (a housing association providing rural affordable housing) and a national trustee of CPRE.  We began by affirming that we had all appreciated the fellowship, warmth and sense of people and place generated by our walk.

Emma focused on the extremely worrying data about the state of English rivers, including those in Tewkesbury, and the consequences this has for ecology and ecosystem health, from the protection of The Ham to the collapsed eel population.   Martin spoke of the challenges posed by the huge numbers of new homes needed and whether and how they can be provided in ways that enhance rather than detract from current communities.  English Rural provided small numbers of affordable homes in small settlements but this can pose challenges in terms of cost and acceptability.  He was, however, convinced that it’s both possible and necessary to reconcile and integrate housing, communities and nature and build the right houses in the right place.

The discussion roamed far and wide, from considering the type, design and quality of the houses needed; and how to avoid building on floodplains while still meeting housing needs.  Some attractive new housing, we heard, has been provided within the town.  One participant explained how recent changes to the NPPF made it easier for the Environment Agency and local authorities to intervene to secure better locations for new housing, and that flood maps were now in place for the whole country; another explained how local flood wardens operated and could how their work helps mitigate the impacts of new development.  We felt we should be focusing on the housing that meets needs; not a numbers game.  In Tewkesbury’s case, much of the new development is happening outside the town though overall the increased population was felt to be bringing benefits.  The town still suffers from the legacy of its past economic struggles and has no FE or HE provision – skills and jobs for locals remains an issue.   As does public transport, although there was praise for The Robin.

We heard how water is a system, and we need to think holistically about how water moves within the landscape and sustains human, plant and animal life – we have changed it beyond measure for species like the Twaite Shad which used to exist in vast numbers in coastal marshland, long gone.  There is a growing chorus of voices saying ‘Make England wet again’.   A participant from Stroud described how small-scale natural solutions like pulling up non-porous surfaces can make a difference; though the timescales for Government/EA/water company action, especially around sewage discharges and cleaner rivers are deeply depressing. 

We concluded, however, with a reminder of the many wonderful things happening in Tewkesbury and the evident commitment to its history, character and future.  People are waking up to the importance of nature and climate change, and we need to reverse the way we have turned our backs on rivers (like the Severn) when water transport declined; and recapture and learn to manage, respectfully, the vital role water plays in our lives and landscapes, while working together to ensure that new housing comes with services and infrastructure to help us live our lives more sustainably.

We warmly thanked Geoff, Anne and Susie for leading our walk, Helen and Nick from the Abbey and CPRE for hosting us, and Emma and Martin for their inspirational words.