Login

In June we had our first Visit of the year to 

BUILDWAS ABBEY & WENLOCK PRIORY, SHROPSHIRE

We visited Buildwas Abbey and  Wenlock Priory on June 25th this year. It was a fairly damp start to day and the picnic lunch we'd planned had to be eaten in the car. Typically as soon as lunch was  finished the sun came out and stayed out for the rest of the day. Buildwas Abbey was our first port of call. Built originally from Savigney, it eventually became Cistercian and stayed thus until the Dissolution. The ruins are extensive and there are surviving medieval tiles in the Chapter House which is still roofed. We spent an hour here, before moving on to Much Wenlock. We ate lunch in cars and then visited the very picturesques ruins of the priory, which is Cluniac. Members then had free time to visit the rest of the town, which is delightful and oldy-worldy, before going to the 'Copper Kettle' and partaking of the best Afternoon Tea I have ever had, thanks to Lesley and her team. This is only the group's second outing and was hugely successful.

     Marion Moulton

A group of us enjoying a well earned rest at  Wenlock Priory 

photo by Helen Ashburn 

 ************ 

 Our second visit of the year in September was to

CROXDEN ABBEY, & ST OSWALD'S CHURCH ASHBOURNE

Thank goodness the weather was reasonably kind in that it didn't rain!There were ten of us eventually and it was nice to see Helen and John Ashburn  and Alex Hamilton from the Greater Manchester Branch.
Everyone arrived eventually at Croxden - it's an absolute so and so to find! However it is definitely worth the effort because it's a fascinating site and there is still a lot left of the Abbey church and the domestic buildings. The Abbey Church is particularly intriguing, because the main road separates the east end from the west end. Penny was on hand to answer any questions we might have had as she had brought 'Monastic Staffordshire' We spent a good hour enjoying the site, before heading for a superb lunch at 'The Tavern' at Denstone. Suitably full of good wholesome fare we drove to Ashbourne and spent another good hour investigating the beautiful church of St. Oswald. The glass is superb.  One window is particularly beautiful, because it is in the style of the Pre-Raphaelite School  and the North Transept houses a wonderful collection of tombs of the Cockayne family. Having absorbed the welcoming atmoshere of the church, in true Ricardian fashion, we found somewhere to partake of Afternoon Tea. We wended our way home just in time to avoid the rain, but all agreed it had been a very good day indeed

Marion Moulton

 

A welcome break for Helen, John & Alex  in Ashbourne

Shown below are a few photos that were taken on our trips in 2011. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge

 

 

BUILDWAS - Photo taken from the north showing an interesting view of the arcade.
BUILDWAS - This photo gives a good idea of the height & width of the huge pillars. Notice the scalloped capitals - simple Cistercian ornament.
BUILDWAS - Close up of the medieval tiles on the Chapter House floor. Unfortunately they are not in situ but laid in a random but pleasing patterns.
BUILDWAS - Another photo showing the enormities of scale. Compare the height of Val to the East window with its huge lancets.
WENLOCK - This is a view of the two story chapel in the south west corner of the nave. In the foreground are the famous Wenlock toparies.
CROXDEN - A view looking from the East end of the abbey along the length of what would've been the nave towards the impressive West window.
WENLOCK - Helen photographing the elaborately decorated arches of the Chapter House at Wenlock. As a Cluniac House decoration was encouraged & the Chapter House is an example of it at its best.
CROXDEN - Several of our Group admiring the ruins of the Chapter House of which very little remains.
ASHBOURNE - The tomb of Sir Humphrey Bradbourne (d 1581). Figures of his ten children are carved around the base. Some are carrying shields, where one half is blank it indicates that the bearer was not married at the time of his/her father's death. The three coloured red died in infancy.
ASHBOURNE - Another tomb in St Oswald's church Ashbourne. This is the alabaster effigy of Margaret Cokayne showing her elaborately carved head-dress. Margaret was the wife of Sir John Cokayne who died around 1447.
ASHBOURNE - Very fine alabaster effigies of Sir John Cokayne (d 1372) & his son Sir Edmund Cokayne who was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury 1403.
sitemap | cookie policy | privacy policy | accessibility statement