in its own grounds on lands embracing the site of
the whole of the original monastic buildings. Subscriptions poured in,
and at the auction, held in the town, the Abbey House Estate was
bought for L10,500, and became once more, after 344 years, the
property of the church. This estate included the Abbey House, the
Abbey Gateway, three cottages, and about nine acres of land. A portion
of the latter, viz., that which comprised the Cloister Walk, was added
to the churchyard. The Abbey House comprises portions of the infirmary
and perhaps of the misericord, which survived destruction at the time
of the suppression of the monastery. Part of the original wall remains
on the north side, between the gateway and the church. It is a pity
that the inscription under the bay window is illegible.

At the sale there was a curious lot (Lot 2) put up for sale, but it
was withdrawn, and eventually given to the church. This lot was known
as the _Vaulted Chamber_, and formed a portion of the south aisle of
the nave which had been cut off from the rest of the building, and to
which access was given by a stone staircase outside the church and a
doorway in the wall by the nave.

Very few traces of the old monastic buildings are to be found, for
when the neighbouring ground has been levelled at various times large
quantities of stone have been dug up from the old foundations, and
utilised partly in constructing boundary walls, partly in repairs to
the building. The Abbey Gateway, which is well worth inspection, is
Perpendicular work, and is in surprisingly good repair, mainly owing
to the fact that for many years it was in private hands. It stands
very solid and square, and looks formidable with its battlements, but
the view through the open doorway is very fine--the foliage on the
trees beyond showing up the stonework. The work in the arches is good,
and the gargoyles are worthy of notice. The gateway was restored in
1849-50, and the gates are of about the same date.

In the cloister there are traces at the west of the outer parlour of
the monks, and the size of the cloisters is clearly seen to have been
eighty feet.

Of the place of this glorious Abbey in our own English history much
might be written, and in fact it has been a difficult task to steer a
course which, while avoiding too much history, should show that the
history is there. In all the great events of history down to the end
of the fifteenth century Tewkesbury Abbey has its pl