Woodspring Priory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Woodspring Priory |
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The Priory Church from the south
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| Former names | Worsprynge, Worspring |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Town or city | Kewstoke |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°23′27″N 2°56′42″W / 51.39083°N 2.94500°W |
| Completed | 15th century |
Woodspring Priory was once a special kind of monastery called a priory. It was home to a group of religious people called Augustinian canons. You can find it near a beautiful rocky area called Sand Point and Middle Hope, which is looked after by the National Trust.
The priory is close to the Severn Estuary, about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. Many of its buildings are considered very important historically, meaning they are "Grade I listed". The entire site is also protected as an ancient monument.
The priory was started in the early 1200s by William de Courtney. It was dedicated to Thomas Becket, a famous saint. The small group of canons built a church and living areas over the next 100 years. They were "Victorine Canons," who believed in working hard and being self-sufficient, much like the Cistercians. This meant the clergy also worked on the farm.
Even though they received gifts of land, the priory wasn't very rich until the 1400s. Then, they built more, including the church you see today, an infirmary (a place for the sick), and a large barn. In 1536, the priory was closed down during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After that, it was owned by local noblemen and rented to farmers.
In 1968, the National Trust bought the priory and nearby land. The next year, the Landmark Trust took over. They spent 20 years fixing it up. Now, the old farmhouse is rented out as a holiday home.
The buildings that are still standing include the priory church, which was rebuilt in the 1400s. There's also the infirmary, the barn, and the prior's (leader's) house from the 1500s, which became the farmhouse. The whole priory was built around a central courtyard called a cloister. Most of the other buildings, like the chapter house and sacristy, were taken down.
Contents
A Look Back: The Priory's Story
How Woodspring Priory Began
Woodspring Priory was founded in the early 1200s. It was dedicated to Thomas Becket, a very important archbishop who was murdered in 1170. The founder, William de Courtney, was actually the grandson of one of Becket's murderers. It's thought that founding the priory was a way to honor Becket and perhaps make up for his ancestor's actions.
In 1849, a special container called a reliquary was found in a nearby church. People believed it came from the priory and held some of Thomas Becket's blood. It's now kept safely in the Museum of Somerset.
The first buildings at the priory were finished by 1242. In 1283, the priory even received ten oak trees from the Forest of Dean to help with building. King Edward II officially approved the priory in 1325.
The priory was home to "Victorine Canons." This group was influenced by the Cistercians, who believed in hard work and being self-sufficient. This meant the canons, who were religious clerks, also worked on the farm. They also provided priests for the local church in Kewstoke.
The priory, along with other religious places like Glastonbury Abbey, helped drain the wet, muddy lands of the Somerset Levels. William de Courtenay gave the priory land in Woodspring, Worle, and Locking. However, the priory was not very rich for most of its history.
In 1317, even though the church buildings were ready, they hadn't been officially blessed. This led to a fine! The priory faced more money troubles during the Black Death in 1348. They also had a fire in their church.
But in the 1400s and early 1500s, a generous person helped them expand and build new parts. Some people even think that smugglers might have given money. This was because the priory was in a good spot for them to bring in goods secretly and avoid paying taxes. During this time, the current priory church, the large barn, and part of the prior's house were built.
The Priory Closes Down
In 1536, King Henry VIII decided to close down all the monasteries and priories in England. This was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The King took their money and property. He did this after Parliament passed laws that made him the head of the Church in England, separating it from the Pope.
Roger Tormenton was the prior (leader) of Woodspring in 1525. In 1534, he agreed that the King was the head of the church. He had already sold some of the priory's land. On September 27, 1536, the priory was officially closed. Its income was about £87.
Some of the priory's valuable items were given to nearby churches. For example, the special container believed to hold Thomas Becket's blood went to St Paul's in Kewstoke. Carved wooden seats called misericords went to St Martin's in Worle, and a sculpted pulpit went to the Church of St Lawrence.
After the priory closed, it was given to William St Loe. He leased it to Edward Fetyplace, who turned it into a farmhouse. The eastern part of the church was pulled down. A second floor was added in the north aisle, and large windows were bricked up. In 1566, it was sold to William Carr, who finished turning it into a manor house.
Later, in the late 1600s, the Pigott family inherited it and owned it for 200 years. During the 1600s, it was also owned by Ralph Hopton, a Royalist commander during the English Civil War.
From the 1500s until the early 1700s, the priory buildings were used as a hospital for local people. In 1829, repairs were made to the church. In 1885, excavations found old floor tiles and coffins. Later surveys suggest there might have been a formal garden and fish ponds too.
The farmhouse was damaged by fire in 1897. In 1926, the owner, a cricketer named Major Vernon Hill, offered to sell the priory to the local council, but they didn't buy it. In 1928, it was bought by a farming company and rented out. In 1932, it even hosted Alan Cobham's Flying Circus, which put on air shows!
In 1968, the National Trust bought the priory and the land around it as part of a project to protect important places.
Bringing the Priory Back to Life
The priory was in poor condition when the Landmark Trust took it over in 1969. Over the next 20 years, they worked hard to restore it. They started by removing ivy and fixing the roofs of the church and infirmary. The infirmary walls needed a concrete beam to hold them steady.
Today, the church is a small museum. It has photos and information about the priory's history and how the Landmark Trust restored it. The attached lodging house is now a holiday home that people can rent.
The Priory's Design and Buildings
Several buildings at Woodspring Priory are "listed," meaning they are historically important. These include the 15th-century barn, parts of the cloister walls, the farmhouse, the gatehouse, and the infirmary.
The whole priory was built around a central courtyard called a cloister. Only the east and west walls of the chapter house (a meeting room) remain. Other parts like the sacristy (where sacred items were kept) and the refectory (dining hall) were taken down. You can also see the gatehouse, gates, and a mounting block (steps for getting onto a horse) attached to the farmhouse.
The original church from the 1200s is gone. The current church was built in the 1400s in a style called "Perpendicular." It has a main area called a nave, a north aisle (a side section), and a tower that is 65 feet (20 meters) high. The tower stands on the 13th-century base. The top part of the tower, called a quatrefoil parapet, was added in 1829.
The front of the church uses stones from both the 13th-century building and the 15th-century additions. The main door is partly blocked and now acts as a window. Some of the large upper windows have also been bricked up.
The prior's lodging, built in the 1500s, was turned into a two-story farmhouse. It had big changes and additions in 1701. Inside, you can see huge wooden beams. A small porch-like addition was added in the 1800s.
The 15th-century barn is about 50 meters north-west of the church. It has seven sections supported by strong buttresses (supports) on the outside. It has a special roof structure called a collar beam roof. There's also a well at one end.
The old infirmary was built in the 1400s and also has an arch-braced collar beam roof. On the south wall, you can see where a stair tower once was. This tower would have connected the infirmary chapel on the ground floor to the infirmarer's (person in charge of the sick) living area, which are both gone now.
Woodspring's Lasting Impact
The priory gave its name to the Woodspring District, which was a local government area from 1974 to 1996. This area is now known as North Somerset. From 1983 to 2010, there was also a parliamentary area called Woodspring, which was named after the priory.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset
- List of monastic houses in Somerset
