St Nicholas Hospital, Bury St. Edmunds

 So this entry is coming to you some time after my last post as I felt it was time to refresh the blog and update it a little bit. I came across the photos I took sometime ago, in fact back in 2015. I was on a day out visiting places from my childhood around Norfolk and Suffolk when I came across this site. Having visited Bury St. Edmunds many times before I had never explored this particular area of the town however I am so glad I did on this particular day and I stumbled across a ruin on a fork in the road. 

This ruin looked very much like a church with a grand arched stone window, carefully carved. Flint walls with stone blocks at the ends grew out of the grass to a height of approximately five or six foot. Remains of pillars or decoration could be seen in the form of carved stone pillar bases. 

Knowing nothing of this site I started my usual research on the Internet to see what I could find, I was intriguied by this site and wanted to know more. I was fairly certain that it was monastic in origin however I was uncertain as to what form it was. Was it a church, or maybe it could have been a small abbey, or maybe a buiding linked to the grand abbey at Bury St. Edmunds.

This site is located just outside the town to the east on Eastgate Street.

After sometime of research I found out that the site I explored was once a monastic hospital known as St Nicholas Hospital. It was formed before the year 1224 however an exact date is not known by an unknown abbot of Bury St. Edmunds. It was administered by and consisted of a master, a chaplian and several brethren. 

One of the first recorded entries for the hospital was in 1224. This entry relates to the permission received from King Henry III by the master of the hospital to hold a feast and vigial of the Translation of St. Nicholas. Other entries in history around the hospital have been recorded surrounding pardons and charters which relate to the hospital aquiring land in and around Bury St. Edmunds.

Very little is known about this site, we know it was a hospital but was this a hospital in the sense of a Leprosy hospital, was it to care for the poor and sick. Little information about its use exists. 

My Thoughts on the site

Having stumbled across this site I needed to stop and take a look. I was intrigued and interested to find out more. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain access to the other side of the walls however I explored the side of the walls I could. I took some photos of the wonderful stone and flint work and was very impressed with the old window. It appears as though the walls and stonework are still tended to and repaired when necassary. While the site was not hugh and neither was this particular section of the building it clearly had a monastic tilt to it, it was clear to see that throughout its life it was in someway connected to a monastic life.

 

Background information and reading with some information contained within this post has been adapted from material at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/suff/vol2/p134

 

 

St Lawrence, Beeston St Lawrence

I had driven past this church several times over a period of a couple of years and thought how intriguing it looked. I felt it deserved a visit, so finally one day I stopped which was difficult to say the least as this church stands on the side of a busy main road. It has no carpark and very little verge to pull onto however there is a little country road about 30 seconds past it which has space for one vehicle to pull into.

I walked back to the church and entered the churchyard from the little gateway that opens onto the small grass verge right beside the main road. I approached the beautiful little church along the rough stone pathway. The gorgeous round tower loomed above me.

I entered the church wish to my amazement was unlocked. The old door swung open and to my surprise I was greeted with very little inside. Some of the pews at the rear of the church has been removed and it appeared some restoration work was being conducted on parts of the floor. It was evident that while still consecrated this building was not longer used for active worship. The walls were all white washed and looked very fresh. The vaulting of the ceiling looked as though the local landowners or benefactors from the near by hall had mirrored the ceiling from one of their ballrooms.

It is a real shame this building is no longer used for regular worship as I think it would make a magical and awe inspiring place to hear hymns ring out in praise of God.

Cathedral of the fields

So it has been over 2 years and 1 month since I last updated the blog so I felt it was about time I did something and add new content. And what better way to kick start the blog again than to introduce you to the Cathedral of the Fields.

The church in question does not hold cathedral status currently and neither has it done in the past, however it gets its nickname from the grand architecture it displays both inside and outside the building.

So what is it actually called?

Well this church is St Michael the archangel and is located at Booton in Norfolk. Only a couple of miles across the fields as the crow flies from Reepham.

A brief history

There has been a church on the site since the medieval period but was remodelled during the 19th century by Reverend Whitwell Elwin. He was not only the parish vicar but also the designer for the new church.

Some of the original features of the building still exist such as the former west wall however they cannot be seen as they have been encased and covered with flint from Elwin's later remodelling. The guidebook, which costs approx. £3 and is available at the church, suggests that several features of the church have been borrowed from other churches or cathedrals from around the country. For example one that is discussed in the guidebook and at Norfolk Churches website (http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/booton/booton.htm) is that of the nave windows. Their design is similar to that of the nave windows at Temple Balsall. Another feature is the west door which can be compared to that of Glastonbury Abbey. The towers, however are fairly unique in design and cannot be compared to any other building within the UK, apart from the minaret-esque slender tower at the west end which rises up above the window falling slightly short in height or its brother tower standing proud either side of it.

Having wandered around inside looking at the various features it had to offer such at the roof, I wandered around the outside of the building. Nothing impressed me more than the priests door, deeply resessed in the wall with grand carved arches surrounding it. The niche above the door, which would have once held a sculpture of an important figure in Christendom, however it is believed that no such sculpture was installed.

While the building is still consecrated and could be used for worship, it is not actively used and is currently under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.

My Final View

I have visited the site before but never took photos so I am pleased I have visited again and have taken some photos this time around. It is a beautiful church both inside and out with many interesting features to explore. It is well worth a visit to be immersed in such beauty of the church and the countryside around it and to witness how peaceful the location is.

Many thanks goes to Simon Knott of Norfolk Churches for the the background information and reading. Some information contained within this entry has been adapted from material by Simon Knott at http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/booton/booton.htm.

 

All photos displayed on this site unless otherwise stated have been taken by me and copyright belongs to myself.

Panxworth Church

During a drive one afternoon I stumbled across this little church. I decided to go and investigate and found it to be a pleasant little site.

The church at Panxworth is in a ruinous state today yet has only been this way since around 1986. Today just the tower stands which has recently been renovated with new pointing around the flint work of the tower. The nave of the church has since been demolished. It is very easy to see that this church was very small with the nave being up to 50ft long. It is sad to see that this church has fallen into this state but it is also understandable that due to declining numbers of worshippers using churches, this building has become redundant.

There are a few grave stones still in the small church yard and it is fascinating to read them as it gives a glimpse and an insight into the people that lived and worshipped at this church while it was in use.

I found the site very peaceful even though it was very close to the road and surrounded by fields that are worked as arable land. I am also very pleased to see that this church while in a ruined state is still be cared for and protected for future generations to visit.

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