Evesham (/ˈiːv(ɪ)ʃəm, ˈiːsəm/)[2] is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England.

It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening.

The 2007 floods were the most severe in recorded history[3] The town was founded around an 8th-century abbey, one of the largest in Europe, which was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, with only Abbot Lichfield's Bell Tower remaining.

Evesham is derived from the Old English homme or ham,[4] and Eof,[5] the name of a swineherd in the service of Egwin, third Bishop of Worcester.

[7][a] Evesham Abbey, which became possibly the third largest in England,[9] was founded by Saint Egwin, the third Bishop of Worcester, in around 701 AD, following the vision of the Virgin Mary to a local swineherd or shepherd named Eof.

"[12] The abbey was redeveloped and extended after the Norman Conquest, employing many tradesmen and significantly contributing to the growth of Evesham.

As a result of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, Evesham Abbey was dismantled in 1540 and sold as building stone, leaving little but the Lichfield Bell Tower.

It marked the victory of Prince Edward, who led the 8,000 strong army of his father Henry III, over the 6,000 men of de Montfort, and the beginning of the end of the rebellion.

The battle was a massacre; de Montfort's army were trapped in the horseshoe bend of the river,[18] Although Simon de Montfort and his son were killed, Prince Edward's victory was not decisive towards the King's hold on the country, and the struggle continued until 1267,[19][20] after which the kingdom returned to a period of unity and progress that was to last until the early 1290s.

According to the chronicler William Rishanger, when de Montfort saw the advance of the royal troops, he exclaimed that "They have not learned that for themselves, but were taught it by me.

[24] During the reign of King Stephen, William de Beauchamp erected an adulterine castle at Bengeworth, whose occupants vied for control of the town and abbey.

[29] Evesham is situated on a horseshoe-shaped peninsula almost completely surrounded by water in a meander of the River Avon between Stratford-upon-Avon and Tewkesbury.

The modern town encompasses Bengeworth and Greater and Little Hampton, which were originally independent villages on the opposite bank of the river.

[31] The Avon, a tributary of the River Severn, is navigable but mainly used by leisure traffic and there is a marina providing moorings.

The river rose 19 feet (5.8 m) in just a few hours, sinking tethered narrowboats, flooding areas of Bengeworth, and threatening the 19th-century Workman Bridge as static homes from a riverside caravan site broke up and became wedged in its arches.

[35] Of those aged 16–74 in Evesham, 57.5% had no academic qualifications or one General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE),[36] above the figures for all of the Wychavon district (44.2%) and England (45.5%).

[38] Due to its exceptionally fertile soil, market gardening is carried out on a commercial scale in the surrounding area, known as the Vale of Evesham, which is known for its production of fruit and vegetables.

A distinctive form of leasehold tenure, known as the Evesham Custom, still regulates market garden tenancies in the area.

[48] Evesham is at the junction of the A46 and A44 trunk roads – the 4-mile (6 km) £7 million, A46 single-carriageway bypass to the east of the town opened in July 1987 as the A435.

[6] The Vale of Evesham School, operated by Worcestershire County Council, caters for children from the area aged 2 – 19 with special needs, and learning disabilities.

[58] More recent factors in its decline are attributed to changes in the market gardening scene, where the dialect was to be heard at its fullest, and the impact of television.

Events hosted include drama, stand-up comedy, brass bands, orchestras, pantomime to ballet.

The centre has a raked 312-seat auditorium, full technical facilities and film projection and a 60-seat studio space for smaller productions.

[14] A major landmark is the statue of Eof by the Scottish sculptor John McKenna that was funded by the townsfolk and unveiled in the market place in June 2008.

[74] The Almonry Museum has an 1825 oil painting by William Robert Earl (1806–1880) which shows a distant view of the town as seen from Greenhill, site of the battle of Evesham.

Dating from the 1890s, they include the gateway to Market Square,[76] the entrance to the town across Workman's Bridge,[77] and the former Hampton Ferry across the Avon.

This is titled "Feeding the Ducks"[79] and dates from 1884, when Stott shared a cottage in North Littleton with fellow painters Walter Osborne and Nathaniel Hill.

The Evesham Leisure Centre comprises two swimming pools, a climbing wall, a 100-station fitness room and a health & beauty salon.

The museum and the Tourist Information Centre are housed together in a 14th-century half timbered building that was the home of the almoner of Evesham Abbey.