Abbeys

England

*Lacock 9/2008*
*Winchester 7/12/08* There was an SCA event held at this historic site. For more information on the event including video taken, please visit here.
*Glastonbury Abbey 7/5/08* Legendary burial place of King Arthur; England's largest abbey in 36 acres of parkland; Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea built a simple place of worship which became the site of the abbey's Lady Chapel www.glastonburyabbey.com
*Malmesbury Abbey 4/12/08* The site itself was dedicated to worship as early as 676 AD by Aldhelm who became the first Bishop of Sherborne. The building that remains on this site was consecrated in 1180 AD. After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1539 the Abbey was sold to a local clothier and then given to the people of Malmesbury to be used as their parish church. Unlike some of the other abbeys which were destroyed through religious wars, the destruction to this abbey was due to "natural causes" (the spire fell around 1500 and the west tower fell around 1662). The timeline presented by the Abbey shows a lag between 1664 and 1900. During 1900 restoration was begun and the abbey was reopened and re-hallowed in 1928. The Abbey is still in use today as a church.
*Castle Acre & Acre Priory 3/10/08* Castle Acre is a village in Norfolk. Sited on Peddler's Way, The Roman trackway to the north Norfolk coast. To the NE of the village lie the ruins of a castle, founded just after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by William de Warenne, first earl of Surrey. To the SW of the village lie the remains of a priory - the best-preserved Cluniac monastery in the country. The medieval parish church, which lies outside the town defences, shows that the town had outgrown its original boundaries by the 13th century.

English Abbeys left to see

With so much already seen, it would appear we're running out of things we want to see. However, we've frequently made the mistake of picking up brochures as we stop for a roadside break or hearing about someone else's great adventure and the list grows. The brochures, scraps of paper with names of places and other "must-see" ideas litter my desk and I thought it easiest to consolidate them here since we're already sharing so much of our time here with all of you. These are in no particular order.

Fountains Abbey - North Yorkshire - English Heritage Site	Along the banks of the River Skell, it was said to become the richest house in England and that one could travel 30 miles without leaving the lands of the abbey.
Lindisfarne Priory - Holy Island, Berwick-upon-tweed TD15 2RX (English Heritage)	Since 698 AD the Holy Island has been a place of pilgrimage for 1300 years and still is. Viking raiders drove the monks, carrying the saint's body, off the island in 875 and they returned centuries later to build the priory which still stands today.

Wales

*Tinturn Abbey 11/2008*
*Tinturn Abbey 3/24/08*

Welsh Abbey's left to see

Strata Florida Abbey	ruins which date back to 1197. the Cistercians at Strata Florida were loyal supporters of the Welsh Princes. Traditional burial place of Dafydd ap Gwilym, the greatest poet of medieval Wales.
Lamphey Bishops Palace, Nr Pembroke, South-West Wales	Retreat built for the medieval bishops of St. Davids. Palace was established in the 13th Century. What currently stands is mainly the work from 1328 - 1347
Valle Crucis Abbey, Nr Llangollen, North Wales	Cistercian abbey founded in the 13th century and added to a century later. There is a 9th century Christian memorial cross that stands nearby.

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