Depending on what part of the country you’re in, these ancient rights of way have names that vary by region. They are defined as….
…a narrow place to walk along, leading from somewhere to somewhere else, usually in a town or city….
In Birmingham we have Gully’s, while in Derbyshire they have Ginnels and Yorkshire they have Snickets.
In Tewkesbury there are Alleys, miles of them.
Because the town pattern based on the three main roads hemmed between the Avon River and the Swilgate stream. Access to the land from the streets created gaps between the buildings which turned into alley ways. These rights of access allowed cottages and workshops to be built behind the main frontage of the roads as plots became sub divided.
Tewkesbury still has most of the alleys and ‘courts’ today, although some are blocked by doors.
David Moore 