Events & walks
The Society is frequently asked to supply speakers for groups or societies, to give presentations about aspects of the battle or the people, events and politics surrounding it. (Please use our contacts page if you require any further information.)
Working with Tewkesbury Museum, we also provide outreach to both primary and secondary schools.
Events
At a social level, the Society organises events for members and joins with other groups in joint events. Details are circulated to members. Among the highlights have been:
- Visits to Towton Battlefield for the Palm Sunday walk.
- A visit to Shrewsbury Battlefield for a tour with battle expert Stephen Maxwell.
- The annual ‘Three Battles Festival’ event in Worcester with the Worcester Battlefield and Simon de Montfort Societies
- A tour of the re-interpreted Bosworth Battlefield with historian and author Dr Michael Jones.
- A visit to the Pitt-Rivers Museum
- A tour of the Mary Rose and Mary Rose Museum with our patron Robert Hardy.
- Annual visits to the Simon de Montfort wreath laying and tour of the Evesham battlefield.
- A visit to Losecote field with the Battlefields Trust.
Local activities the Society are involved in:
- Banner Painting. The Annexe, Barton Rd. Tewkesbury. Every Monday 1-4 p.m.
- Christmas Lights Event, Tewkesbury High Street. 27th November
- Poems and Pints, Theoc House, Tewkesbury. 2nd December (for the memorial statues)
- Christmas meal, Theco House, Tewkesbury. 16th December
- Living History Event, Worcester Guild Hall. 18th February
- Battlefield ‘Litter Pick’, Lincoln Green Lane. 26th February
We also have a ‘Spring Tour’, mainly visiting churches and castles, some of which have a connection with the battle of Tewkesbury.
There are also plans to visit a historical glassmakers in Wiltshire to see how Medieval and Roman glass was made.
For more details on any of these events please use our contacts page.
Walks
There are lots of possibilities for walking the battlefield. The southern part is largely open and undeveloped. The routes from Gloucester, by the river Severn and Tredington, by the river Swilgate, are pleasant walks and there are footpaths criss-crossing the area.
In 1986, a way-marked trail was laid out, and a leaflet is available for self-guiding through the core battlefield. This is an easy walk and will take no more than an hour to complete. The Society provides a comprehensive programme of guided walks, which are described below. Additionally, walks can be tailored for the interests and capabilities of interest groups. We have catered for everyone from the local heart support group to Wars of the Roses societies.
Tewkesbury Battlefield Trail
The summer walk.
Starting at the Crescent, Church Street, at 7.30 in the evening, generally, but not always, on the first Thursday of the month, this walk takes about two hours of gentle strolling. The “talk” explains the complex background to the battle, the conduct of the battle itself, and the fate of the main participants. It visits the “front line” and follows the action back into Tewkesbury.
The winter walk
Exactly as the summer walk, but starting at 2.30 in the afternoon, generally on the first Sunday of the month. The walk may be subject to variations if there are floods in Tewkesbury.
A tour viewing Tewkesbury Abbey from the Monument
The Tredington walk
Normally on the Sunday prior to the anniversary of the Battle, a walk along the footpaths to Tredington, the Yorkist camp of the night before. This is again a couple of hours, but with no commentary. Just a walk, and a bit of a debate. The walk starts at 10.30 from the Queen Margaret’s Camp. It returns in time for a pub lunch.
The Festival walk
On the Sunday morning of the July Medieval Festival, a walk starts at 1pm from the public information tent on the fair, and spends a couple of hours looking at aspects of the battlefield which are a little off the normal route. This is less of a guided walk than a travelling debate, as it is often joined by battlefield historians, or by battle re-enactors.
The Memorial Walk
On the Sunday closest to May 4th, a commemorative walk is held, which starts in Tewkesbury Museum at 2pm with an audio-visual presentation and an examination of the battle artefacts followed by a tour of the battlefield looking at the progress of the battle with talks on tactics and weapons. The tour takes about two and a half hours.
Walk dates and locations
| 2011 | |||
| Thursday | September 1st | 7.30 The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. This is the last summer walk, and finishes in twilight. |
| Sunday | October 2nd | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| Sunday | November 6th | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| Sunday | December 4th | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| 2012 | |||
| Sunday | January 1st | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| Sunday | February 5th | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| Sunday | March 4th | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |
| Sunday | April 8th | 2.30. The Crescent | 2 hour guided tour of the battlefield. |