Tewkesbury is well known for the Battle of Tewkesbury and its 900 year old abbey. Local residents, at the time of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, purchased the abbey to stop it from being demolished. You can imagine the history that has happened around the abbey and if its walls could talk, it could tell you a lot. But it's the people who have witnessed ghostly activity inside and on the grounds of the abbey, that can make you wonder if the lives of those who worked and lived on the grounds, have a story that needs to be told.
The abbey was used as a place of hiding during the Battle of Tewkesbury, when the survivors of the bloody battle, took shelter in the abbey. It is also said that the Lancastrians' were actually chased into the abbey by the Yorkists and were then slain. The blood ran so deep inside the abbey that it was closed until all bloods were cleared and then re-sanctified.
The noise of the battle is still heard when all is quiet. The ghostly screams and cries of the 1,000 men that died echo through the mists of time.
There are also ghostly monks who are seen inside the abbey. These were the men who were ejected from their monastery during the dissolution so it's no surprise their ghostly figures are seen from time to time. Many an organist who is sat alone playing the Milton Organ, have reported a figure in black, sat beside them. Another ghostly monk figures is seen climbing the tower and entering a room where the monks worked. Another monk figure is seen walking across the same area and disappearing into the wall, where there had once been another room.
There was a wedding service being held and the photographer took a photo of everyone who was attending the wedding. When this photo was developed, a dark, cowled figure was spotted, sitting on the edge of the seated guests. This figure was only caught on this photo and no-one fitting that description had attended.
If you have a copy of that wedding photo or had a spooky experience in the abbey or on it's grounds then please contact me here
