As thick as Tewkesbury Mustard!

With mustard so good that Shakespeare felt inspired to write about it, and a medieval festival that’s the biggest of its kind in Europe, the market town of Tewkesbury is hot stuff

TEWKESBURY

Points of interest on Katie B Morgan's map:

Tewkesbury map, by Katie B Morgan (Image: Katie B Morgan, kbmorgan.co.uk)

⦁ Medieval alleyways: Discover parts of the town you might otherwise miss with one of the Tewkesbury Heritage and Alleyway Trails.

⦁ Alley cats: Project Alleycat is a community art project with murals and mosaics in the alleys.

⦁ Beadles Hat: 19th-century sign outside the Heritage Centre.

⦁ Golden Key: The site of an ironmonger’s shop.

⦁ Tewkesbury Mustard: The famous mustard balls made from mustard seeds and horseradish are mentioned in William Shakespeare’s Henry IV.

Pretty cottages and the restored Abbey Mill on the River Avon at Tewkesbury (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

⦁ Old grain barge: Barges Chaceley and Tirley used to moor next to Healings Mill.

⦁ Eric Morecombe: The Roses Theatre was where the comedian gave his last performance.

⦁ Tudor House Hotel: It’s said to have the ghost of a dog.

⦁ Maud: The wife of William the Conqueror established a market in the town.

⦁ Bloody Meadow: The site of The Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

⦁ Re-enactment: The medieval commemorations, which have gone on to become the largest free medieval re-enactment and fayre in Europe, were started in 1986 by Len Clatworthy.

One of Tewkesbury's medieval-style flags, used to help promote and celebrate the annual festival (Image: CaronB/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

⦁ Flags on border: Used to decorate the town during the festival.

⦁ John Moore Museum: John Moore was the author of Portrait of Elmbury.

⦁ Tudor Roses: The White Rose of York, and the Red Rose of Lancaster – symbols of the Wars of the Roses.

Tewkesbury Abbey, with its handsome Norman tower (Image: krzych-34/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

⦁ Helter Skelter: A charter was granted by Edward II in 1324 for the annual mop fair.

⦁ Abbey: Possibly the best and largest Norman tower to be seen.

⦁ The Old Black Bear: One of Gloucestershire’s oldest pubs; Shakespeare’s Theatre group are said to have acted here.

A quiet corner of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire (Image: ChrisAt/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

⦁ Severn Ham: Once used for horse racing, it is now a wildlife conservation area.

⦁ Fishing: There is a long history connected with fishing. In 1205 it was recorded that lamprey and salmon were supplied to the Crown.

This year's Tewkesbury Medieval Festival takes place July 9-10. tewkesburymedievalfestival.org