Tag: English Heritage

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Wessex Attractions: Temple Church

Temple Church in Victoria Street, Bristol is sometimes known as the “leaning tower of Bristol”, because its tower leans 5 feet from the perpendicular. This is not as dramatic as its more famous equivalent in Pisa, whose lean is three times as much, but it certainly produces a striking effect, and has made the now-ruined church into a major Bristol landmark.

The church was built in the 12th century on a site donated by Robert, Earl of Gloucester to the Knights Templar, a powerful religious and military order that played a significant role in the Crusades. The church was dedicated to the Holy Cross, and like many Temple churches, it was built in the round, designed to evoke the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

However, the fortunes of the Knights Templar took a turn for the worse in the early 14th century. They fell out of favour with the pope and with King Philip IV of France, who accused them of idolatry and homosexuality. In 1312, Pope Clement V issued a papal bull disbanding the order, and many of its members were arrested and executed.

The Temple Church in Bristol was not spared the effects of the downfall of the Knights Templar. The church was taken over by the Knights Hospitaller, a religious order that was founded to care for the sick and injured. The Hospitallers later replaced the original round church with a rectangular one, built in the perpendicular style.

The Knights Hospitaller were in turn suppressed by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, and the church became an ordinary parish church. Temple Fee parish (later absorbed into Redcliffe parish) was a centre for Bristol’s cloth trade, and the church contained a chapel dedicated to St Katherine, for the use of the Bristol Company of Weavers.

The church was bombed out during the Bristol Blitz of November 1940, but its shell was taken into public ownership, first by the Ministry of Works, and subsequently by English Heritage. It is a grade II listed building and a scheduled monument.

Today, the Temple Church is a popular destination for visitors to Bristol who are interested in history and architecture. The grounds are open to the public, though the interior of the church is not. The church also hosts occasional cultural events, such as concerts and exhibitions. The postcode is BS1 6HS, and the nearby Victoria Street bus stop is served by multiple bus routes.

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Essential Wessex: Berry Pomeroy Castle

With its beautiful woodland setting and Hammer Horror design, Berry Pomeroy Castle in South Devon is a popular destination for lovers of the gothic. But it has much to offer anyone interested in history and heritage. Originally thought to be of Norman origin, due to a mention of a manor on the same site in the Domesday Book, it was actually built during the Wars of the Roses by the Yorkist Pomeroy family and later extended by the Seymour family.

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, bought it from the then-impoverished Pomeroys in 1547, adding a mansion to the original fortress,It was further extended early in the 17th century, but fell into disrepair in the 18th, It became known as a romantic ruin, a magnet for landscape painters and authors of gothic novels such as The Castle of Berry Pomeroy by Edward Montague, an 1806 tale presumably modelled on Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764). Its popularity was boosted by a reputation for being the most haunted castle in England.

Today, Berry Pomeroy Castle is maintained by English Heritage. It is open at weekends from 10am to 4pm, and admission costs £7 for adults and £4.20 for children. Visitors can explore the kitchens, and climbing the staircase to the first floor of the medieval gatehouse reveals a large 15th century painting of the Adoration of the Magi on one of the walls.

The postcode, for satnav purposes, is TQ9 6LJ. Sadly, the only bus route to serve the castle. the 149 from Totnes to Torquay, does not run at weekends.

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Wessex Attractions: Blackfriars, Gloucester

Blackfriars is a former Dominican priory located on Southgate Street in Gloucester. It was founded in 1239, during the reign of Henry III, on the site of a former Norman castle; and was one of the first friaries to be established in England. Dominicans were colloquially known as “black friars” due to the colour of their habits, as distinct from the Franciscan “grey friars” and the Carmelite “white friars”, both of whom also had friaries in Gloucester.

During the reign of Henry VIII, the priory was dissolved as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the 19th century, the buildings were converted into housing, and a bottling plant. They remain one of the most complete examples of a medieval monastery surviving today, and came under the guardianship of English Heritage in 1960. They are now leased to Gloucester City Council for weddings, events and conferences. See their website for more details. The Gloucester History Festival, which takes place in September, is a popular event that celebrates the history and culture of the city. The festival includes lectures, tours, and reenactments, and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Gloucester City Council has invested in the renovation of the priory buildings, ensuring that they are maintained for future generations to enjoy, including the restoration of the Great Hall, which is one of the largest surviving medieval halls in the country.

The renovation of Blackfriars also includes the creation of new spaces for art exhibitions and community events. The new spaces will allow the priory to continue to be a vital part of the cultural and community life of Gloucester.

Blackfriars is located within half a mile of the main bus and rail stations in Gloucester, and the postcode for satnav purposes is GL1 2HS.

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Wessex Attractions: Over Bridge

Before the opening of the first Severn Bridge in 1966, traffic wishing to cross the River Severn from Bristol and points south had two choices: the Aust Ferry, and Over Bridge in Gloucester. The latter was built in the late 1820s from a design by Thomas Telford (1757-1834), the Scottish civil engineer nicknamed “the colossus of roads”, whose other achievements include the Menai Bridge. The design was based on Jean-Rodolphe Perronet’s design for a bridge over the Seine at Neuilly.

Telford’s 150-foot, single span stone bridge replaced an earlier bridge dating back to Tudor times, though there had been a bridge there for much longer, as one is recorded in the Domesday Book. It closed to traffic in 1974, when the present A40 bridge was opened, but remains as a pedestrian bridge.

The bridge is currently maintained by English Heritage, and is a scheduled monument. It is two miles from Gloucester railway station and is well-served by local buses. The postcode, for satnav purposes, is GL2 8BZ.

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Wessex Attractions: Muchelney Abbey

Muchelney Abbey, two miles from Langport on the Somerset levels, was a Benedictine monastery founded by King Ine of Wessex around 700 and refounded by Athelstan in 939, making it the second-oldest religious foundation in Somerset. It was abolished by Henry VIII in 1538 as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, with many of its buildings being demolished. Those that remain are now the property of English Heritage.

Visitors can explore the foundations of the abbey, some of which date back to Anglo-Saxon times. Surviving buildings include the abbot’s house and cloister, and – holy shit! – a monastic latrine. The abbey has ample grounds where children can play and explore.

Admittance at the time of writing costs £7 (free to English Heritage members). The abbey is currently closed for winter, with no indication as to when it will reopen. When it does (probably around Easter), the satnav postcode is TA10 0DQ. Somerset County Transport bus 850 serves the site on Thursdays. Otherwise, the nearest bus stop is in Langport, a mile away, served by Buses of Somerset service 54, from Taunton to Yeovil.