Tewkesbury Abbey, like almost all monastic buildings in England, suffered the depredations of Henry VIII. In the case of Tewkesbury, however, the main church remained largely intact because the town purchased the monks' part of the structure from the king for £453 and it became the parish church. The Lady Chapel, a detached bell tower, and the cloisters, along with a few other buildings, were pulled down. On a recent late afternoon we visited the grounds of the Abbey and during our circumnavigation of the church we came upon two ladies engaged in conversationon on a bench caught in the last sunlight of the day. They were having a literal and metaphorical cloistered chat (evidence of the site of the cloisters remain on the abbey walls around them).
photos © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
