Creake Abbey

I recently visited Creake Abbey a short drive up the road from North Creake, not far from Fakenham in North West Norfolk. I had visited this site once before and while some of the former monastery buildings and site has since been developed into private residences, it felt oddly strange and eerie as though I was being watched. 

However this time I did not get this feeling, yet it was replaced with another feeling, a feeling of sadness. Now this could be due to the information I had read about the site before hand so I am not saying that I experienced anything paranormal. I owe these feelings to its history and that fact that during 1484 Creake abbey was destroyed after a tragic fire reduced it to nothing more than a large church in physical size. The community at Creake Abbey was wiped out canon by canon until in 1506 the last member of the community the Abbot himself died from the plague.

A little history of Creake Abbey

Creake Abbey went from strength to strength starting life as a small chapel which grew into a hospital and priory. Sir Robert de Narford funded the chapel of St Mary of the Meadows to be built and later extended to become the hospital and priory of St Bartholomew. At this point we know the canons began to follow the rule of St Augustine. 

The priory began to prosper with donations from many generous benefactors such as King Henry III by bestowing the title of abbey onto the complex in 1225. However the canons were unaware that this prosperity would not last and in 1484 tragedy befell that abbey when it was gutted by a fire which ripped through the building reducing the complex to a mere shell of it former glory. Requests were made to fund the rebuilding programme at the site. King Richard III made donations yet these were not enough to rebuild its prosperity especially when further tragedy fell on the abbey in 1506. One by one the canons died from the plague with the abbot being the final inhabitant left also died from the plague in 1506

My feelings on the site

As I strolled around the site I found it tranquil yet also a feeling of sadness fell over me which as I mentioned earlier I attributed to the information I read on the boards dotted around. I got a sense of the 'good' Sir Robert and Lady Alice tried to accomplish by founding this abbey and hospital and also the glory that this site must of radiated in its heyday. 

However a feeling of uncertainty flooded me as I approached some of the original features due to their new and current use. In the photos below you will see the piscinas that were once used to wash the vessels used in daily services are now filled with 'offerings' such as candles, Christian psalms and texts along with stones scribed with messages such as 'RIP Uncle.' I found this to be comforting that people are still using the site as a place of remembrance but also oddly strange as both times I have visited I have been the only person there. 

I would certainly recommend a visit to the site to see what feelings you receive from such as place and while you are there use the benches dotted about to pause and reflect and take in the beauty of nature around you, listening to the birds singing as they wing about in the sky.

Just around the corner is a delightful cafe and craft shops which are also well worth a visit.

Background research and reading credited to English Heritage available at www.english-heritage.org.uk

St Andrews Church, Thursford, Norfolk

Unfortunately when I visited this site, the church was in the middle of a maintainance program which meant that is was covered with scaffolding, however I was able to stroll around the exterior. I have come to the conclusion that I need to revisit the site to take a look inside.

As I walked through the graveyard it was a very pleasant and quiet place to be, you approach the church from a little dirty track which leads to Thursford Hall, however level with the church you find a sign, advising you to go no further as it is private property. 

It is easy to tell that the church has been rebuilt over its lifetime as the current church has a very Victorian feel to it, with records suggesting that it was rebuilt in the 1860's. This would have been completed to the taste and requirements of the Chadd family who lived at Thursford hall, just south of the Church.

St Andrews church houses the Chadd family chapel in the south transept with the family pew sitting above their mausoleum. This section of the church is situated over 2 levels.

Background reading credited to Simon Knott of www.norfolkchurches.co.uk

St Edmunds Memorial Chapel Hunstanton

Built as a memorial chapel to King Edmund by the Monks of Bury in 1272 to comemorate the landing place of Edmund. It was continually used for worship for around 400 years until it fell into ruin and neglect. Edmund supposedly landed at this point in 855 AD.

Little is left of the chapel apart from the south door and wall however there is a peacful garden around the chapel creating a nice little area of relaxtion and transquility near the main cliff top road at Hunstanton. I had been past this wall several times during visits to Hunstanton and one day stopped the car and got out to take a look.

The memorial garden or Garden of rest that is now incorperated into the site was established by Reverend A.A. Toms in 1918 in memory of local men who fell in action during World War 1.

Edmund inherited his kingdom of East Anglia when he was young, he was crowned at Bures in Suffolk. He reigned for several years peacefully however towards the end of his reign he had to defend his kingdom against the invading Danes, he was regretably defeated during at battle at Thetford where he was taken prisoner.

Legends says that Edmund died as a martyr at the age of 29 having been shot by arrows while he was bound to a tree on 20th November 870AD. The location of his death is said to be Hoxne in Suffolk. 

He was canonised as King and Martyr becoming the first patron saint of England after being entombed in Bury St Edmunds where his shrine became a place of pilgrimage.

Kett's Castle (Chapel of St Michael on the mount)

A couple of weeks ago I visited Kett's heights, Thorpe Hamlet on the edge of the city centre. There have been many uses of this site over the years from alotments to parkland to camp site of a rebelious mob. I became interested in this site after a discussion with a friend regarding a photo he had taken of the site. In the photo were some flint walls. The reason for my interest is that I had read an article and had knowledge of there being religious buildings on this site from around the 11th Century. I had heard and researched St Leonard's Priory. I will not go into this monastic house in detail here as I will post this seperately.

Please visit the blog of my friend to view the photos that started my interest in this area of the city. http://eastscapes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/on-top-of-city-ketts-heights.html

Having visited the site and walking around it for a few minutes I cam across what I was looking for. I found the old flints walls which mark the location of the Chapel of St Michael on the mount. In the late 11th Century Bishop Herbert De Losinga, the first bishop of Norwich, embarked upon building the Cathedral and in the process several Anglo-Saxon churches were demolished, one such church was St. Michael's. So as to build bridges and make amends with the Ango-Saxon population Bishop Herbert had a small chapel built on the mount and called it St. Michael's. The chapel was cared for and managed by the monks from St Leonard's, with their duties including daily services at the chapel.

Around 400 years later, St Michael's chapel fell into disuse as a chapel. However is 1549 during the rebellion lead by Robert Kett the Chapel of St. Michael was used again. This time it was used as the headquarters for Kett's campaign against the city. Using the remains of the chapel on the mount as his 'castle' it gave him a great vantage point to view what was going on in the city below him.