AN AMBITIOUS project to develop a major tourist attraction in the heart of Evesham by recreating the footprint of the town’s historic abbey is gathering pace.
As the Observer revealed last year, two acres of land in Abbey Gardens could be transformed into public gardens in the shape of the town’s former abbey to show visitors the size and scale of the demolished monastery.
The site has been gifted to the Evesham Abbey Trust, the group who have been working on the plans for the past two years, by the Rudge Estate.
More details on the major project have now been revealed, including a four phase transformation plan which includes an archaeological study of the site to discover what artifacts are laying beneath the gardens.
It’s expected to cost £2million in total and a bid is being submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant of £1million.
The first phase will see an archaeological team brought in to undertake consultation and development work; including archive research, archaeology, excavation, site clearance and boundary wall repairs.
The trust will then develop the cloister phase which will see a garden developed on the site of the Abbey cloister to recreate what it would have been like to have stood in the abbey.
Another garden will be created on the site of abbey’s nave as part of the third phase, and lastly the remainder of the site will be developed into gardens to reflect the abbey and town’s history.
Speaking when the plans were first revealed, Barrie Baldelli said: “It’s going to be a project that will take several years. It will be a tremendous site re-creating parts of Evesham Abbey within the framework of a public open access garden.
“We see this as a great opportunity to develop a major tourist attraction and to display the historic ecclesiastical heritage of Evesham,” he added.
