Pershore

Pershore Abbey

Another outing with my friend Merv, this time to Pershore in Worcestershire. We parked just off the High Street and walked along Priest Lane in the direction of the Abbey. Opposite the Abbey is the imposing White Horse Hotel, built on a curve and with a fine main door case.

We walked along Newlands past this attractive terrace painted in pastel shades ...

... and this fine timber framed house, The Almonry, on the left.

It was an attractive street with an interesting mix of houses. I especially liked this rather quirky one.

We then retraced our steps to have a proper look at the Abbey. The rather attenuated building you see today is what remains of the third church to be built on the site. It was built in the Norman or Romanesque style between 1090 and 1130. Lime other abbeys it was a victim of the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. The monastic buildings, the Norman nave and two chapels were demolished and their building materials were sold. The parishioners of Pershore bought the monks' choir for £400 to be their parish church. This is a rather similar story to that of Sherborne Abbey which Ange and I visited recently. 

Later, the nave was rebuilt in the Gothic style and the north transept fell which resulted in rather ugly buttresses being installed to prop up the crossing tower. There was also the inevitable 19th century restoration. That said, the interior is quite pleasing with its unusual relationship between the columns and the windows.

The south transept contains this fine effigy of a 13th century knight, which is thought to have once been in the churchyard.

We left the Abbey and crossed the road to head towards the High Street. The view back was attractive with a fine cedar of Lebanon on the left and a redundant church, now a community centre, on the right.

We headed south past a fine Georgian coaching inn ...

... to reach the well-named Broad Street, an eclectic mix of Georgian and Victorian architecture.

At the end we turned right into the High St which as has an unspoilt character and a large number of Georgian buildings. This house was one of several with lovely wrought iron balconies.

Further along, a grand three story mansion.

And a little beyond, this lovely house with an unusual facade and windows.

I could go on. High St really is a Georgian gem. This is the view looking back from Bridge Street which leads down to the river.

Conditions: grey and cool.

Distance: a couple of miles.

Rating: three and a half stars. A lovely concentration of Georgian buildings and an interesting Abbey. We enjoyed our walk, but in truth there was nothing really outstanding.