Prittlewell Priory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prittlewell Priory |
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Prittlewell Priory in 2008 – cloister area and claustral buildings
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| General information | |
| Status | Preserved |
| Type | Priory |
| Location | Prittlewell |
| Town or city | Southend-on-Sea |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°33′11″N 0°42′18″E / 51.553°N 0.705°E |
| Construction started | c.1110 AD |
Prittlewell Priory is an old building from the Middle Ages in Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, England. It was started in the 1100s by monks from a bigger monastery in Lewes. Later, when King Henry VIII closed down many monasteries in England, Prittlewell Priory became a private home.
The last private owner, a jeweller named R. A. Jones, gave the Priory and its land to the local council. Today, the land is a public park called Priory Park. The old Priory building is now a museum that you can visit. It is a very important historic building, protected by law.
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History of the Priory
Prittlewell Priory was founded by a group of monks called the Cluniac Order. It was like a smaller branch of a bigger monastery in Lewes. Prittlewell was a smaller monastery, usually with fewer than 18 monks living there.
In 1536, many parts of the building were destroyed. What was left was changed a lot in the 1700s and again in the early 1900s. For example, the dining hall (called the refectory) was fixed up and partly rebuilt. Some original parts still exist, like a doorway from the 1100s with cool zigzag and pointy designs.
After the monasteries were closed by King Henry VIII, Prittlewell Priory became a private home. It was given to a powerful person named Thomas Audley. Then, it was passed down through different families. The last family who lived there were the Scrattons in the 1800s. You can learn about them at the museum today.
In 1917, Robert Jones bought the building. In May 1922, it opened as Southend's very first museum.
In 2011, work began to fix up the old buildings and build a new Visitor Centre. This big project cost £2 million. It was partly paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The work finished in the summer of 2012, and the Priory reopened in June that year. The new Visitor Centre, right next to the Priory, opened in February 2013.
A Priory Conflict
The main monastery in Lewes was in charge of Prittlewell Priory. They were responsible for choosing the prior, who was the leader of the monks there. In 1311, a monk named William le Auvergnat was chosen as prior.
However, after two years, people said he was corrupt. The prior from Lewes tried to remove him from his position. This started a long fight between the two monasteries. Lewes wanted James de Cusancia to be the new prior, but William refused to leave.
Because of this trouble, William was called to see King Edward II of England in 1318. William said he would give up his job. But then he went back to the monastery and took it over again with his supporters.
In 1321, the monks from Lewes decided to fight back. They armed themselves and attacked the Priory while Mass was being held. They captured some of William's supporters and took them away for punishment. Sadly, William himself was fatally injured at the altar. After his death, James de Cusancia finally became the prior of Prittlewell.
The Scratton Family
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In 1842, Daniel Robert Scratton (1819-1902) inherited the Priory. He and his wife, Maria, fixed up the buildings to make a nice home. There is a painting of Daniel Robert Scratton at Southend Museum. It shows him on his horse, with Prittlewell Priory in the background.
In 1869, he moved to a different house in Devon. It was not until 1887, when William Howell Scratton bought the Priory, that it truly became a family home again. The family created a walled kitchen garden. This garden used to have greenhouses and a special pit for growing melons. This area was actually where the monks used to be buried. Today, it is a beautiful ornamental garden.
What You Can See at the Priory
The part of the Priory that was added in Victorian times used to be bedrooms. Now, it has a fun, interactive display about the local wildlife.
Other things you can see at the Priory include paintings. There is a portrait of Daniel Robert Scratton by Stephen Pearce. There is also a painting of Mrs. Scratton, but the artist is unknown.
Priory Park
When R A Jones bought the Priory, he also bought a lot of the land around it. He then gave this land to the town to create Priory Park. The park officially opened on July 14, 1920. It was opened by the Duke of York, who later became King George VI.
Images for kids
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Prittlewell Priory, Southend-on-Sea, in the snow
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The opening of Prittlewell Priory in 2012, after it was fixed up and a new Visitor Centre was built (on the left).
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Gates to Priory Park. The signs on the gates remember that the park was a gift to the people of Southend from R A Jones.
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The memorial stone outside Prittlewell Priory. It remembers that R A Jones gave the Priory and the park to the town in 1917.
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A view of Prittlewell Priory from a nearby garden in Priory Park.
