The Romanesque Elevations of Tewkesbury and Pershore

Abstract

The later medieval remodeling of the stylistically related abbey churches of Tewkesbury and Pershore has presented the architectural historian with the problem of ascertaining the nature of the original Romanesque design. One school of thought favors a four-story elevation for choir and transepts which would have entailed a wood roof; the other, while not agreeing on the number of stories, suggests the reconstruction of high barrel vaults. Detailed analysis of both fabrics in the context of West Country architecture after the Conquest and select French Romanesque structures will demonstrate the original existence of a three-story scheme with barrel vaults over the main spans.