Category abbeys
Jedburgh Abbey – A Border church. #atozchallenge
Continuing my exploration of Abbeys and Cathedrals of Britain, I’m heading north of the Border to Scotland. In 9th Century Jedburgh was part of Northumbria and the town grew up around the first church, which was built there by Bishop Ecgred of Lindisfarne. King David of Scotland founded a priory in 1118 and it housed […]
Iona Abbey – Celtic Christianity #atozchallenge
Early Christians liked remote places and in Britain, they spread Christianity into the least populated areas. While Saxon Christians crept up from the south, or came across the North Sea to Northumbria to Lindisfarne Island, others spread Christianity via the Celtic heartlands of Ireland and Scotland. You can’t get more isolated than Iona. The island […]
Hexham Abbey – Things to see. #atozchallenge
Those considering marriage in a church might have a specific church in mind for their wedding. Perhaps it is one they have attend for years, or maybe their family have, or in some cases, it is the location that is the key attraction, something grand and memorable. Several years ago, I received an invitation to […]
Gloucester Cathedral – The stained glass church. #atozchallenge
The stained glass in the windows of a cathedral isn’t there to let in the light, it’s there to ensure nobody inside can see the outside world and the light coming in is controlled. The most impressive cathedral for stained glass, for me, is Gloucester cathedral. The current cathedral was begun in 1089 and built […]
Fountains abbey – small beginnings. #atozchallenge
Abbeys were often built in the middle of nowhere to ensure the temptations of town life were well away. Monks could then devote themselves to their offices while lay workers toiled to keep the money pouring in. However, it wasn’t always peaceful. In Yorkshire, at St Mary’s Abbey, at riot broke out in 1132 and […]
Buckfast abbey – alive today #atozchallenge
I remember visiting Buckfast Abbey as a child. The stone looked clean and smooth. It isn’t a ruin. It’s very much alive and occupied. The original abbey was built in the reign of King Cnut in 1018 in Saxon times. A Benedictine monastery that continued for a few decades but by 1086 when the Doomesday […]
Abbeys – a long history. #atozchallenge
My first post is about abbeys. What is an abbey and what does it represent? Abbeys are a complex of buildings centred around a church devoted to a religious order and governed by an abbot or abbess, so they are synonymous with the establishment of monasteries and convents. An abbey is a home, a work […]
A-Z Blogging Challenge – Theme day!
This will be my third year of doing the A-Z blogging challenge. One letter of the alphabet per day, excluding three Sundays, and each letter will be about…… Abbeys and Cathedrals of the UK Since I managed with castles last year, I thought I would take my other great architectural love and expand on it. […]
The Quiet Writer 