During the Middle Ages, Tetbury became an important market for Cotswoldwool and yarn. Notable buildings in the town include the Church House and the late 18th century Gothic revivalparish church of St Mary the Virgin and St Mary Magdalene and much of the rest of the town centre, dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Market House, dating from 1655 with restorations done in 1817, is a fine example of a Cotswold pillared market house that used to trade wool and yarn which was the main source of the town's wealth,[3] it is still in use as a meeting place and market. Other attractions include the Tetbury Police Museum and Courtroom, Chavenage House, Highgrove House and Westonbirt Arboretum lie just outside the town.
The Tetbury Woolsack Races, founded 1972, is an annual competition where participants must carry a 60-pound (27 kg) sack of wool up and down a steep hill (Gumstool Hill). The Tetbury Woolsack Races take place on the "late May Bank Holiday", the last Monday in May each year.
Tetbury has won five consecutive Gold awards in the Regional "Heart of England in Bloom" competition in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was category winner "Best Small Town" in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010 Tetbury was Overall Winner of Heart of England in Bloom and won a Judges Discretionary Award for Community Achievement. Tetbury won Silver Gilt as a first-time entrant in the National Britain in Bloom Campaign in 2009 and a second Silver Gilt in Britain in Bloom in 2011.[4][5]
Geography
A map of Tetbury from 1946
Tetbury is situated in a landscape of gently rolling hills primarily used for farmland, including grazing of sheep and grain production. Its location is associated with a nearby major east–west trade or drovers trail, which would account for its early importance as a wool trade centre. Nearby to the west are Owlpen Manor, Beverston Castle and Calcot Manor. The Tetbury Avon, a tributary of the Bristol Avon, known locally as the Ingleburn rises to the north of the town.
Governance
Most of Tetbury falls in the Tetbury parish, although some of the northern parts of the town are officially in Tetbury Upton.
The 18th century parish church of St Mary the Virgin with its late 19th century steeple[6][7]The centre of Tetbury
Tetbury is renowned for its antique and bric-à-brac shops; Homes & Antiques magazine named Long Street one of the UK's top 10 favourite streets for shopping in December 2018.[8] The town centre also has a number of independent specialist food and clothing shops, banks, charity shops, estate agents and other shops including lifestyle clothing brand Overider and the Prince of Wales's original "Highgrove Shop" which opened in 2008.[9]
A Tesco supermarket branch was opened a quarter of a mile from the town centre in July 2002. The town's high street is the home to a number of specialist shops selling cheese, breads, meats, dairy and frozen products, entertainment supplies, among others.
The town has pubs and hotels, including the Royal Oak Inn which was featured in the 1971 film Dulcima and in an episode of BBC One's Bonekickers. The Trouble House, immediately outside the town, was served by Trouble House Halt between 1959 and 1964.
Culture
Events in the town include Woolsack Day, held on the last Bank Holiday in May, famous for the races and street fair. A flower show is held at the recreation ground. The first "Tetbury Fiesta" was held on the recreation ground in July 2008.[10] Tetbury Music Festival is held in early October.[11]
The town has two schools, St Mary's Primary School and Sir William Romney's School, a secondary school which specialises in creative arts. In 2006 Sir William Romney's announced that it would be closing its Sixth Form centre, meaning students wishing to sit A-Levels now travel to Cirencester, Stroud or Filton College in Bristol.[14]Westonbirt School is an independent school for girls aged 11 to 18.
Some Tetbury children travel further afield, with students at the two grammar schools, Marling School for boys and Stroud High School for girls, both in Stroud, and some at the comprehensive Deer Park School in Cirencester.
^"History". The Parish Church of St Mary The Virgin and St Mary Magdalen, Tetbury. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
