13 March 2017

Wymondham Abbey....

In 1107 William d'Aubigny, the local Norman landowner, established a small community of Benedictine monks here.  The church he built was on a grand scale as it served both the monastery and the local community.  In 1538 the monastery was closed by order of King Henry VIII.  The old monastic buildings were gradually taken down, but the parish church continued in use as it does today.  The church building was once twice as long as it is now, and was one of the largest buildings in East Anglia.






Poor old William Kett was hanged from the tower in 1549 after rebelling against the King.










I successfully managed to not fall down the ha-ha ....! 
It was added as a landscape feature in 1834 to separate the meadow from the churchyard.






In 2015 this arch was re-opened to reveal medieval drawings incised into the stonework.  These drawings have been hidden since the Dissolution when the arch was blocked, and beyond it, the parts of the abbey used by the monks were demolished.  It provides an important insight into the lost parts of the building.


Some of the incised drawings....








This part of the church was in poor condition when Elizabeth I passed by in 1573, she paid for repairs and her initials were set high in the stonework.....



The River Tiffey.....





Good to see that the hike in rail fares has paid for top-notch signage ....


Source:-  Wymondham Abbey Information Boards on site.

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