Evesham Abbey was another victim of the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 ordered by Henry VIII. A church existed on the site before 700. The site was chosen by St. Ecgwine when he saw the location in a vision. The Normans replaced the old church that had been consecrated in 1054 by a larger one. The abbey became one of the many Benedictine monasteries of the time. To cater for the local population that was divided into two parishes two churches were built very close to the abbey. They are All Saints and St. Lawrence which has not been in use since 1979 and is now maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust. Saints. Apart from the two churches the only remaining sections of the abbey are the Great Gateway which was converted into houses, the Bell Tower which was built just before the Dissolution and parts of the Cloister Arch. Simon de Montfort who was defeated at the battle of Evesham was buried in the abbey.
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