It was Richard’s birthday in the middle of August and to celebrate, he decided he would like to visit Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk. The Priory is a ruin which is cared for by English Heritage.
Because of Covid-19 restrictions we had to book a ‘slot’ and pre-pay for our visit. We were so happy to have Alice staying with us for a week; she had arrived the day before and accompanied us on our trip. We made a picnic lunch to take with us and set out at 11.00 am as our ‘slot’ was at 1.00 pm. I drove us there and because the traffic was light we arrived in very good time. We ate our picnic sitting in the car in the car-park; it was a dull, cool day and the only benches and tables were beyond the reception building. We had liked the look of Castle Acre village as we drove through it, (it also has a castle and an interesting-looking church) but it was very crowded with visitors wandering about the narrow lanes. We will return in happier times, I think.
We donned our masks and presented ourselves at the reception desk where we were given a map of the priory and I bought a guide book. Just outside the reception building was a charming herb garden.
Castle Acre Priory herb garden
There were a couple of stands of plants for sale. I resisted buying from them with difficulty!
This was our first view of the priory ruins on leaving the herb garden
Castle Acre was chosen by William de Warenne, a Norman knight who had fought at the Battle of Hastings, to be the headquarters of all his newly acquired Norfolk properties. The castle, the priory and the massive 12th century town defences were all built by successive generations of the de Warenne family. The building of the priory was begun in 1090 by de Warenne’s son.
More intricate carving, with a couple of grotesques
We always seem to visit a place which is currently having work done to it! Last year we visited Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire because I wished to see its stunning facade. ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’. When we got there (in the pouring rain, I might add) the whole of the front was covered in scaffolding because of on-going restoration work.
This time, a number of projects were being worked on at the priory which restricted where we were able to go.
The Prior’s chapel is to the left as you look at the photo and the Prior’s great chamber/study is on the right with its fabulous bay window, added in the early 16th century. Further round the corner on the right side of the building you can see the side view of an early 16th century oriel window.
The Prior’s study with the oriel window is on the left and a late 15th century two-storey porch is on the right. The taller building behind the porch is the Prior’s lodging. You can also see the connecting passages and galleries of the west range joining the lodging to the Prior’s chapel behind the great chamber. The Prior’s chapel was also connected to the Priory church so the Prior had no need to go outside at all, unless he wished to.
Another view of the Prior’s buildings
This is part of the decoration on the oriel window. It must be a portrait of someone, don’t you think? Such a wonderful face! Apologies for the poor photo.
From left to right; entrance to the west range of the priory, then a kitchen and behind it the refectory and then the building on the far right is the reredorter or latrine block.
Restoration work is being done to the bridge (in the foreground) over the leat and also to the south boundary wall. The leat is a diversion of the River Nar; this leat was used by the monks to take the waste away from the reredorter. They dug the channel close to the priory and then built the latrine block over the top of it. The leat is dry at present.
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Castle Acre Priory was a Cluniac priory, a daughter-house of the great monastery at Cluny in Burgundy. With the support of kings and nobility many Cluniac priories were created in England between 1076 and 1154. During the wars with France the Cluniac priories had restrictions placed on them because they were ‘alien’ even though most of the monks were, in fact, English. Gifts to the priory were reduced and the French monks were repatriated. Only after obtaining English or ‘denizen’ status did their situation improve again and their numbers increase. Castle Acre was suppressed by Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII and the deed of surrender was signed on 22 November 1537. Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk acquired the lease of the priory’s site, lands and rights. By the following summer the priory buildings were being demolished, though the Prior’s lodging was retained as a house.
Richard and Alice at the Priory
My girls!
Elinor with the reredorter in the background. You can see clearly here how the building straddles the leat.
Richard, Alice and Elinor
It started to rain, and we decided it was time to go home.
Alice and Richard approaching the bay of the south aisle of the priory church under the south-west tower
The ceiling of the bay under the tower
Arched exit from the south-west tower
View from under the south-west tower looking towards the inside of the west door and onwards to what would have been the north-west tower
As usual, I also took photos of the plants living on and near the ruins.
A Willowherb. It could be Hoary Willowherb ( Epilobium parviflorum) because of its very hairy stem and leaves. Growing on a wall would account for its small size. (There are other willowherbs which are hairy which accounts for my doubtful ID).
Many plants growing on one of the walls
White Stonecrop (Sedum album) I find its red leaves most attractive
White Stonecrop
White Stonecrop
Horse Chestnut ( Aesculus hippocastanum) These leaves are badly affected by leaf blotch caused by a fungus. Horse chestnut trees are also often badly attacked by Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth larvae
Wild Teasel ( Dipsacus fullonum)
Wild teasel
Maidenhair spleenwort ( Asplenium trichomanes) Recognizable by its black midrib
I think this might be Roseroot (Sedum rosea). Not a plant one would expect to find in this part of the country
Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia) and Black Medick ( Medicago lupulina)
Harebells
Common liverwort/Umbrella liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha ) Common liverwort is a thallose liverwort; it has flattened leaf-like structures (thalli) with forked branches. Common liverwort is also dioicous – it has separate male and female plants. This photo is of a female plant as it has star-like umbrella structures some of which are showing yellow mature sporangia or spores. Common liverworts can also reproduce asexually by ‘gemmae’ produced in gammae cups which can be seen centre bottom of the photo on the thalli. The gemmae are knocked out of the cups by splashes of water/raindrops.
Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum )
Wallflower ( Erysimum cheiri)
I think this is Common calamint (Clinopodium ascendens )
Common calamint
We had a very enjoyable few hours at the priory and I hope to return to Castle Acre one day to look around the village and revisit the priory.
To end this post, I have added the following English Heritage guide to Medieval Monastic life….
and, here is the Salve Regina, a chant that would have been sung (probably not to this tune) when Castle Acre Priory was in its glory.
Having spent three years at UEA, during which I took a course in architecture, I’m ashamed to say I’d not previously heard of Castle Acre – either the village or the priory! I guess that’s what comes of concentrating on the Victorian age. Thank you for filling in a gap in my knowledge, with such beautiful photos and your erudite commentary. It looks like you had fun even if the rains came and cut your time there short.
Thank you, Clive. We did have fun and we managed to see most of what there was to see. I’m not sure that I would have been aware of or much interested in Castle Acre if I’d been studying at UEA!
Claire, thank you for this lovely guided tour! I would like to go back, too haha! It really is astonishing to see the talent and the vision all those years ago. But it does make me a little sad, as well.
Thank you so much, Luanne. It makes me sad too, that such a beautiful building should have been destroyed. Many of the people that did the destroying felt that they had right on their side but those abbeys and priorys were very wealthy places and the temptation to make false charges of improper behaviour at the priors and monks and then take over the properties was extremely great.
That particular Salve Regina is played on a local Catholic radio station on week nights as part of a compline; I think it’s an old recording, but nice. It looks like the girls enjoyed the outing, so I’m sure you all did. Such an old place! Of course we have nothing like it here. Much of it is in poor condition but it was interesting to see the parts that look so good, like the blind arcading, and that head on the wall. I agree that it’s an interesting face, but he looks unhappy to be stuck on that wall for so long – many of those heads do look unhappy. 😀 Even green men – if they aren’t looking mischievous – don’t look too happy. The Howards managed to stay Catholic, didn’t they? A mention of the Duke of Norfolk always brings Nigel Davenport to my mind. 😉 (A Man for All Seasons is my favorite movie.) 🙂 I’m glad you had a nice day out!
Thank you very much, Lisa. This Salve Regina is the one I know the best and sing fairly often but I have no idea how old the tune is – it would be good to find out. Your comments about the sad faces on walls made me giggle! Poor sad faces!
Yes, the Howards managed to stay Roman Catholic and they are still going. In fact, the Howard family provided the funds for the construction of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Norwich at the end of the 19th century. Such a beautiful building!
Oh yes! Nigel Davenport – a great actor always chosen to play powerful men. We did have a good day out. One of very, very few this year. 🙂
Very interesting, Clare. We don’t have any old castles in America. I can see that everyone is having a great time. Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed it. 🙂
Oh, thank you so much, Laurie! My photos don’t really show the enormous scale of the priory site; it really is an amazing place despite being mainly in ruins.
Thank you for this awesome tour, Clare. It was my Richard’s birthday in the middle of this month. Given the chance, he would definitely choose a Castle Tour as well! 😀
Thank you very much, Donna. It was my birthday earlier this month, too but we haven’t been able to go on the tour of my choice yet as we have been so busy! I hope we can go before the winter weather or Covid-19 stop us! Happy birthday to your Richard 😀
Thank you very much, Lavinia. I am so very pleased to hear from you knowing in what difficulties you have been lately. I hope all is well with you and Rick. Yes, the Salve Regina is such a lovely song!
Thank you, Reggie. It was wonderful to be together for the first time since Christmas. I am wondering if we will all be able to see each other this Christmas?
Thank you, Susan and my great pleasure. It was our first visit to a place I have wanted to see for over thirty years! Just an hour’s drive away – crazy!
Thank you, Lyn – how kind ❤ It was a great place to visit with so much to see and learn and where one's imagination could be allowed to wander at will.
You write extremely well and so descriptively, I almost felt that I saw everything as you saw it yourself. I’m sure you also enjoyed having all your family with you. Alice looks much as you did when we were young. I shall look forward to reading your next post.
Thank you very much, Genessa. It was an extremely interesting place to visit with so much to see. Alice is lovely and to me, has more of her Dad’s looks than mine.
Thank you so much, Liz. It was a wonderful day out especially as we were all together for the first time since Christmas. We are all fine as I hope you and Hub are, too xxx
Sad that so many beautiful buildings were purposely destroyed!
I loved all the carvings on this one. Carving stone is not an easy task. I’ve had quite a time in the past just knocking off corners to get them to fit in a wall.
You showed great restraint by not buying any plants. I probably would have come home with a carload.
My favorite plant finds were the spleenwort and of course the liverwort.
I’m glad your family were all able to get out together.
Thanks for the tour, and Happy Birthday to Richard!
Thank you so much, Allen. I was especially pleased to be able to see the ripe sporangia on the liverwort. I’ve never seen that before. I am always happy to see Maidenhair Spleenwort – it is such a delicate looking plant.
We had a great day out together; we have so few opportunities these days and with Covid restrictions it is harder than ever. Have you been able to see your children recently? I will pass on your kind wishes to Richard.
I haven’t seen my children but we speak on the phone regularly. Since I’m considered high risk it’s easier on all of us that way.
That liverwort was a great find. I keep hoping to find one producing spores but I never have.
Magnificent! Impossible to imagine life in that day … and the rigor of monastic life. Castle Acre appears indeed to have been an opulent example of a Cluniac priory. Thanks for the breathtaking tour!
Thank you very much! I think the opulence was its downfall; so many people were envious of the power exerted by these rich priories and wanted the wealth for themselves. No-one dared say no to Henry VIII!
Thank you very much, Jolandi. The herb garden was so well set out and such a peaceful place. I could have spent much longer there just smelling the gorgeous scents and admiring the variety of plants!
Castle Acre looks an interesting place, Clare. I see there are links with our local Arundel Castle. The Dukes of Norfolk have always lived here. Arundel was another reward for service at the Battle of Hastings. We hope Richard enjoyed his birthday.
Thank you very much, Richard. The Dukes of Norfolk have certainly been a force to be reckoned with over the centuries! Richard enjoyed his birthday very much, especially as the family were together again. I hope you and your family are all keeping well.
Clare, I always enjoy looking at herb gardens. I have a beautiful herb garden myself. The various herbs are planted in a spiral. I think, that looks very nice.
From spring to the late autumn I always have fresh herbs for the salad and for cooking.
Best wishes from the beautiful Rhine-Highlands / Germany…
Rosie
I have a herb garden as well and I love it! It needs some new plants and I need to re-arrange the garden. This is a job for the autumn!
Best wishes, Clare 🙂
How I have missed your jaunts outside and all the details you capture with your keen eye. Booking a spot must have been prefect for getting all those photos without people around, especially being able to spend it with family, which almost seems a luxury these days.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment Ste! The priory was perfectly quiet and very few people were there at the same time as us. As you know, in the old days visiting sites like this could be frustrating in the summer with so many people milling around. One of the very few benefits of Covid-19! Family-time is a luxury; you are so right! Crissy must be missing her family very much!
Crissy does facetime a lot, and we keep in contact as best we can with the fam over there, it’s all up in the air over the future.
Benefits of Covid should be something people try to see more, beats all the doom in the media, although that’s taken with a lake full, rather than a pinch, of salt, these days.
I really enjoyed this birthday tour, so thank you for sharing it, Clare. The herb garden and stonework are exquisite. Lovely to ‘see’ you all and you have included a loving reminder on how chants are so soothing. Much love flowing to you all. ❤ ❤ ❤
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Jane. Chants and mantras are soothing to the soul and singing is so good for us. Such a pity these things are banned in public at the moment. I hope you are keeping well and not working too hard xxXXxx ❤ ❤ ❤
You are as intuitive as ever, Clare. I am going to mix work up with creativity today. I hope you are all managing? Much love flowing, always. ❤ xXx ❤ ❤
I hope your day was a calm oasis in your busy life xx We are fine. I took Mum to collect her new glasses today. I am waiting with baited breath to see whether they are any good and she has been able to read at last! Elinor has started back at university and has had three mornings actually in the university building! Unfortunately, most of this term’s work will be done via video links.
Take care, my dear friend ❤ ❤ ❤ xXx
Hopeful thoughts for your Mum’s glasses working, lovely Clare and my heart goes out to Elinor. I think of you in your garden room. Much love flowing to you, always. ❤ ❤ ❤ xxxxxx
Happy Birthday to both you and Richard. How wonderful that you had this family outing to Castle Acre. I am curious to know what your birthday outing will eventually be. I love that amongst all that amazing architecture and history you managed to find so many little wild plants ( all architectural masterpieces created by nature!). And thank you for including the fascinating details of the reredorter / necessarium. Isn’t it interesting how a place can be so close to us geographically yet can take so long for us to visit? Last week I had my first visit to an amazing reserve just an hour from home. I have known about it for at least 20 years!
Thank you very much, Mandy. For my birthday outing we will be staying in Suffolk and driving south to Flatford and Constable country. Many of the buildings that Constable painted are still around and the countryside near his former home hasn’t changed much, either. There are plenty of walks in the area so we will pick a dry day and have a wander and another picnic.
The star of the show at Castle Acre is, in fact, the reredorter and is one of the best preserved in England. I was hoping no-one thought I had a toilet fixation!
I am so pleased you enjoyed your visit to the reserve. xxxx
Yet another place we have been meaning to visit for years. We have driven past Dedham on the main road countless times but have never been to have a look!
I always get Castle Rising and Castle Acre mixed up, though after your tour I can now see the difference.
I also now know that blind arcading isn’t just a mistake with window design which was what I always thought it was.
I’m also going to have to start working on my flower ID – I’ve been rather relaxed about flowers for the last few years.
Yes, definitely an educational tour.
Nice to see everyone together and staying well.
And, as a final remark, there’s nothing wrong with having a toilet fixation. We all use them. They used to have a great exhibition of toilets at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke – not sure if it’s still there. Closed at the moment of course. Ans miles from Suffolk.
Thank you so much for your generous comment, Simon and for the Gladstone Pottery Museum suggestion. I have just looked at their website and think it looks a marvellous place to visit! Their ‘Flushed With Pride’ exhibition is still there and when it re-opens I would love to spend a few hours at the museum. We are hoping to go back to Leek as soon as we can and Stoke isn’t too far from there. I hope you and the family are coping okay xx
I just wiped my first answer out. Yes, we are all well thanks.
If you get to Stoke the Moorcroft Museum is free and the Middleton Pottery, where they film the Great Pottery Throwdown, is nice, though not thriling. It does good oatcakes.
Thanks Simon. We went to the Moorcroft museum about twelve years ago; fabulous place – fabulous prices in their shop, too! We were given a tiny piece of Moorcroft ware as a wedding present. I see I mentioned that in the comments on your urban decay post – showing off again! Oatcakes are a treat so another incentive to go to the Middleton – yum!
I loved reading this blog post. It reminded me very happily (in fact I found myself remembering the taste of salt and vinegar crisps in my mouth) of a three week trip I took with my mother to the UK when I was 13 years old. Such beautiful stonework STILL standing at Castle Acre Priory! What craftsmanship… And I am astounded when I read these sentences: “Castle Acre was suppressed by Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII and the deed of surrender was signed on 22 November 1537. Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk acquired the lease of the priory’s site, lands and rights. By the following summer the priory buildings were being demolished, though the Prior’s lodging was retained as a house.” How could such an extraordinary place be demolished?! And yet that is often how brute power manifests itself here on planet earth… Deep sigh. Thank you for this lovely tour through a very special place I am not likely ever to see in person. I especially liked your photos of all the different plants you noticed and identified around the site.
Thank you so much, Will for your thoughtful and kind comment. You are so right about brute power; and of course, at that time Non-conformism and Protestantism were sweeping across Europe, the antitheses of the opulence of the Church of Rome. They truly hated Catholicism and all it stood for and wanted to destroy the ruling church’s buildings and their contents. With regard to HenryVIII and his advisors, money and power and the wish to be independent of the Pope were more important to them than anything else.
My absolute pleasure, and thank you very much for your kind comment. I am looking forward to returning to Castle Acre once the pandemic is over (or under control, at least) and spending longer there – weather permitting, of course! 😀
Clive said:
Having spent three years at UEA, during which I took a course in architecture, I’m ashamed to say I’d not previously heard of Castle Acre – either the village or the priory! I guess that’s what comes of concentrating on the Victorian age. Thank you for filling in a gap in my knowledge, with such beautiful photos and your erudite commentary. It looks like you had fun even if the rains came and cut your time there short.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Clive. We did have fun and we managed to see most of what there was to see. I’m not sure that I would have been aware of or much interested in Castle Acre if I’d been studying at UEA!
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Clive said:
Glad you got most of it in. Castle Acre definitely wasn’t on our syllabus 😉
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Clare Pooley said:
Hehe! 😀
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sietchjameseguin said:
Amazing! Beautiful!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, James.
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tootlepedal said:
A splendid birthday outing though I am sorry about the rain.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Tom. It was a good day out and we had managed to see most of the site.
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Luanne said:
Claire, thank you for this lovely guided tour! I would like to go back, too haha! It really is astonishing to see the talent and the vision all those years ago. But it does make me a little sad, as well.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Luanne. It makes me sad too, that such a beautiful building should have been destroyed. Many of the people that did the destroying felt that they had right on their side but those abbeys and priorys were very wealthy places and the temptation to make false charges of improper behaviour at the priors and monks and then take over the properties was extremely great.
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Lisa G. said:
That particular Salve Regina is played on a local Catholic radio station on week nights as part of a compline; I think it’s an old recording, but nice. It looks like the girls enjoyed the outing, so I’m sure you all did. Such an old place! Of course we have nothing like it here. Much of it is in poor condition but it was interesting to see the parts that look so good, like the blind arcading, and that head on the wall. I agree that it’s an interesting face, but he looks unhappy to be stuck on that wall for so long – many of those heads do look unhappy. 😀 Even green men – if they aren’t looking mischievous – don’t look too happy. The Howards managed to stay Catholic, didn’t they? A mention of the Duke of Norfolk always brings Nigel Davenport to my mind. 😉 (A Man for All Seasons is my favorite movie.) 🙂 I’m glad you had a nice day out!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Lisa. This Salve Regina is the one I know the best and sing fairly often but I have no idea how old the tune is – it would be good to find out. Your comments about the sad faces on walls made me giggle! Poor sad faces!
Yes, the Howards managed to stay Roman Catholic and they are still going. In fact, the Howard family provided the funds for the construction of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Norwich at the end of the 19th century. Such a beautiful building!
Oh yes! Nigel Davenport – a great actor always chosen to play powerful men. We did have a good day out. One of very, very few this year. 🙂
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H.J. for avian101 said:
Very interesting, Clare. We don’t have any old castles in America. I can see that everyone is having a great time. Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed it. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, HJ and it was my pleasure. We did have a good day. Family days out have been very rare this year. 🙂
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Laurie Graves said:
Even in ruins, what a fabulous place! A wonderful birthday outing and thanks so much for taking us along. Nice to see your lovely family, too.
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Clare Pooley said:
Oh, thank you so much, Laurie! My photos don’t really show the enormous scale of the priory site; it really is an amazing place despite being mainly in ruins.
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Laurie Graves said:
Looks like a wonderful place to visit.
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Clare Pooley said:
It is!
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Retirement Reflections said:
Thank you for this awesome tour, Clare. It was my Richard’s birthday in the middle of this month. Given the chance, he would definitely choose a Castle Tour as well! 😀
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Donna. It was my birthday earlier this month, too but we haven’t been able to go on the tour of my choice yet as we have been so busy! I hope we can go before the winter weather or Covid-19 stop us! Happy birthday to your Richard 😀
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Lavinia Ross said:
Good to see you back, Clare! I enjoyed this tour, and all the history of Castle Acre. A beautiful song to close this post, too.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Lavinia. I am so very pleased to hear from you knowing in what difficulties you have been lately. I hope all is well with you and Rick. Yes, the Salve Regina is such a lovely song!
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Lavinia Ross said:
Wishing a happy birthday to Richard!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lavinia. I will pass your wishes on to Richard.
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reggie unthank said:
Fascinating, Clare. How nice to have all your family together.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Reggie. It was wonderful to be together for the first time since Christmas. I am wondering if we will all be able to see each other this Christmas?
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DoF@theinfill said:
Beautiful and thanks you so much for such great photo details. Keep safe and well 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
My great pleasure and thank you for your kind comment. I hope you keep safe and well, too 🙂
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John Bainbridge said:
A long while since we’ve been there – lovely to see your pictures.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, John. It was a fascinating visit.
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margaret21 said:
A great post. I too have a knack of visiting sites I want to see when they’re clothed in scaffolding. Lovely version of Salve Regina too.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Margaret. I am glad we aren’t the only ones to pick the right place at the wrong time! I love this Salve Regina; such simple, pure singing.
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susanpoozan said:
What an interesting tour of a place wuite new to me, thank uou so much.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Susan and my great pleasure. It was our first visit to a place I have wanted to see for over thirty years! Just an hour’s drive away – crazy!
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derrickjknight said:
Despite the conditions you have given us an excellent tour.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Derrick. We were lucky to get as much seen as we did before the rain began.
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Lyn said:
That would be such a cool place to visit! Hope you are staying safe Clare. Don’t take any risks at all – no matter how small ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lyn – how kind ❤ It was a great place to visit with so much to see and learn and where one's imagination could be allowed to wander at will.
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Lyn said:
😀
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Jill Weatherholt said:
Thanks for the lovely tour, Clare. Happy birthday to Richard!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Jill. It was a great place to visit. I will pass on your kind wishes to Richard.
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Genessa West said:
You write extremely well and so descriptively, I almost felt that I saw everything as you saw it yourself. I’m sure you also enjoyed having all your family with you. Alice looks much as you did when we were young. I shall look forward to reading your next post.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Genessa. It was an extremely interesting place to visit with so much to see. Alice is lovely and to me, has more of her Dad’s looks than mine.
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Peter Klopp said:
Thank you for the virtual tour of the Castle Acre Priory, Clare! You saw many beautiful things before the rain began and you had to go home.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Peter. It was a great place to visit and we were extremely lucky to get such a lot done before the rain started.
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Liz said:
What a lovely family day out, and a belated happy birthday to Richard. I hope you are all keeping well xxx
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Liz. It was a wonderful day out especially as we were all together for the first time since Christmas. We are all fine as I hope you and Hub are, too xxx
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Liz said:
That’s great to hear and thank you, all good here too 😀💕
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Clare Pooley said:
Wonderful news xx<3 ❤
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bowlandclimber said:
That looked a fasciating day out.Thanks.
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Clare Pooley said:
It was a great day out. Thank you, John.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
Sad that so many beautiful buildings were purposely destroyed!
I loved all the carvings on this one. Carving stone is not an easy task. I’ve had quite a time in the past just knocking off corners to get them to fit in a wall.
You showed great restraint by not buying any plants. I probably would have come home with a carload.
My favorite plant finds were the spleenwort and of course the liverwort.
I’m glad your family were all able to get out together.
Thanks for the tour, and Happy Birthday to Richard!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Allen. I was especially pleased to be able to see the ripe sporangia on the liverwort. I’ve never seen that before. I am always happy to see Maidenhair Spleenwort – it is such a delicate looking plant.
We had a great day out together; we have so few opportunities these days and with Covid restrictions it is harder than ever. Have you been able to see your children recently? I will pass on your kind wishes to Richard.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
I haven’t seen my children but we speak on the phone regularly. Since I’m considered high risk it’s easier on all of us that way.
That liverwort was a great find. I keep hoping to find one producing spores but I never have.
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Clare Pooley said:
This virus denies us the comfort of having our loved ones near us. I do hope a vaccine is found and that the virus becomes less virulent very soon!
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
Me too!
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TravelingTortuga said:
Magnificent! Impossible to imagine life in that day … and the rigor of monastic life. Castle Acre appears indeed to have been an opulent example of a Cluniac priory. Thanks for the breathtaking tour!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much! I think the opulence was its downfall; so many people were envious of the power exerted by these rich priories and wanted the wealth for themselves. No-one dared say no to Henry VIII!
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Jolandi Steven said:
What an interesting place, and lovely outing, Clare. I adore the herb garden, though.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Jolandi. The herb garden was so well set out and such a peaceful place. I could have spent much longer there just smelling the gorgeous scents and admiring the variety of plants!
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Richard Sutton said:
Castle Acre looks an interesting place, Clare. I see there are links with our local Arundel Castle. The Dukes of Norfolk have always lived here. Arundel was another reward for service at the Battle of Hastings. We hope Richard enjoyed his birthday.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Richard. The Dukes of Norfolk have certainly been a force to be reckoned with over the centuries! Richard enjoyed his birthday very much, especially as the family were together again. I hope you and your family are all keeping well.
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wholelottarosie said:
Clare, I always enjoy looking at herb gardens. I have a beautiful herb garden myself. The various herbs are planted in a spiral. I think, that looks very nice.
From spring to the late autumn I always have fresh herbs for the salad and for cooking.
Best wishes from the beautiful Rhine-Highlands / Germany…
Rosie
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Clare Pooley said:
I have a herb garden as well and I love it! It needs some new plants and I need to re-arrange the garden. This is a job for the autumn!
Best wishes, Clare 🙂
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wholelottarosie said:
❤🌺🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
❤ ❤
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Ste J said:
How I have missed your jaunts outside and all the details you capture with your keen eye. Booking a spot must have been prefect for getting all those photos without people around, especially being able to spend it with family, which almost seems a luxury these days.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment Ste! The priory was perfectly quiet and very few people were there at the same time as us. As you know, in the old days visiting sites like this could be frustrating in the summer with so many people milling around. One of the very few benefits of Covid-19! Family-time is a luxury; you are so right! Crissy must be missing her family very much!
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Ste J said:
Crissy does facetime a lot, and we keep in contact as best we can with the fam over there, it’s all up in the air over the future.
Benefits of Covid should be something people try to see more, beats all the doom in the media, although that’s taken with a lake full, rather than a pinch, of salt, these days.
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Clare Pooley said:
Haha! Yes!
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Jane Sturgeon said:
I really enjoyed this birthday tour, so thank you for sharing it, Clare. The herb garden and stonework are exquisite. Lovely to ‘see’ you all and you have included a loving reminder on how chants are so soothing. Much love flowing to you all. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Jane. Chants and mantras are soothing to the soul and singing is so good for us. Such a pity these things are banned in public at the moment. I hope you are keeping well and not working too hard xxXXxx ❤ ❤ ❤
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Jane Sturgeon said:
You are as intuitive as ever, Clare. I am going to mix work up with creativity today. I hope you are all managing? Much love flowing, always. ❤ xXx ❤ ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
I hope your day was a calm oasis in your busy life xx We are fine. I took Mum to collect her new glasses today. I am waiting with baited breath to see whether they are any good and she has been able to read at last! Elinor has started back at university and has had three mornings actually in the university building! Unfortunately, most of this term’s work will be done via video links.
Take care, my dear friend ❤ ❤ ❤ xXx
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Jane Sturgeon said:
Hopeful thoughts for your Mum’s glasses working, lovely Clare and my heart goes out to Elinor. I think of you in your garden room. Much love flowing to you, always. ❤ ❤ ❤ xxxxxx
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Clare Pooley said:
All’s well with the glasses, thank goodness and Elinor is doing well so far xxXXxx ❤ ❤ ❤ Much love flowing to you, too xxxxx
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Gallivanta said:
Happy Birthday to both you and Richard. How wonderful that you had this family outing to Castle Acre. I am curious to know what your birthday outing will eventually be. I love that amongst all that amazing architecture and history you managed to find so many little wild plants ( all architectural masterpieces created by nature!). And thank you for including the fascinating details of the reredorter / necessarium. Isn’t it interesting how a place can be so close to us geographically yet can take so long for us to visit? Last week I had my first visit to an amazing reserve just an hour from home. I have known about it for at least 20 years!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Mandy. For my birthday outing we will be staying in Suffolk and driving south to Flatford and Constable country. Many of the buildings that Constable painted are still around and the countryside near his former home hasn’t changed much, either. There are plenty of walks in the area so we will pick a dry day and have a wander and another picnic.
The star of the show at Castle Acre is, in fact, the reredorter and is one of the best preserved in England. I was hoping no-one thought I had a toilet fixation!
I am so pleased you enjoyed your visit to the reserve. xxxx
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Gallivanta said:
A visit to Constable country will be lovely. My brother and his wife visited that area a couple of years ago.
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Clare Pooley said:
Yet another place we have been meaning to visit for years. We have driven past Dedham on the main road countless times but have never been to have a look!
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quercuscommunity said:
I always get Castle Rising and Castle Acre mixed up, though after your tour I can now see the difference.
I also now know that blind arcading isn’t just a mistake with window design which was what I always thought it was.
I’m also going to have to start working on my flower ID – I’ve been rather relaxed about flowers for the last few years.
Yes, definitely an educational tour.
Nice to see everyone together and staying well.
And, as a final remark, there’s nothing wrong with having a toilet fixation. We all use them. They used to have a great exhibition of toilets at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke – not sure if it’s still there. Closed at the moment of course. Ans miles from Suffolk.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much for your generous comment, Simon and for the Gladstone Pottery Museum suggestion. I have just looked at their website and think it looks a marvellous place to visit! Their ‘Flushed With Pride’ exhibition is still there and when it re-opens I would love to spend a few hours at the museum. We are hoping to go back to Leek as soon as we can and Stoke isn’t too far from there. I hope you and the family are coping okay xx
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quercuscommunity said:
I just wiped my first answer out. Yes, we are all well thanks.
If you get to Stoke the Moorcroft Museum is free and the Middleton Pottery, where they film the Great Pottery Throwdown, is nice, though not thriling. It does good oatcakes.
https://www.moorcroft.com/museum
https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/ideas-and-inspirations/great-pottery-throw-down
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks Simon. We went to the Moorcroft museum about twelve years ago; fabulous place – fabulous prices in their shop, too! We were given a tiny piece of Moorcroft ware as a wedding present. I see I mentioned that in the comments on your urban decay post – showing off again! Oatcakes are a treat so another incentive to go to the Middleton – yum!
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quercuscommunity said:
We went to the shop that sells the Moorcroft Seconds. They are cheaper and look as good to me. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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quercuscommunity said:
🙂
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willedare said:
I loved reading this blog post. It reminded me very happily (in fact I found myself remembering the taste of salt and vinegar crisps in my mouth) of a three week trip I took with my mother to the UK when I was 13 years old. Such beautiful stonework STILL standing at Castle Acre Priory! What craftsmanship… And I am astounded when I read these sentences: “Castle Acre was suppressed by Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII and the deed of surrender was signed on 22 November 1537. Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk acquired the lease of the priory’s site, lands and rights. By the following summer the priory buildings were being demolished, though the Prior’s lodging was retained as a house.” How could such an extraordinary place be demolished?! And yet that is often how brute power manifests itself here on planet earth… Deep sigh. Thank you for this lovely tour through a very special place I am not likely ever to see in person. I especially liked your photos of all the different plants you noticed and identified around the site.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Will for your thoughtful and kind comment. You are so right about brute power; and of course, at that time Non-conformism and Protestantism were sweeping across Europe, the antitheses of the opulence of the Church of Rome. They truly hated Catholicism and all it stood for and wanted to destroy the ruling church’s buildings and their contents. With regard to HenryVIII and his advisors, money and power and the wish to be independent of the Pope were more important to them than anything else.
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Andrea Stephenson said:
Exploring atmospheric ruins like these seems to me a good way of spending a birthday!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Andrea; it was a really pleasurable day, altogether.
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writersideup said:
I always wish I could see places like this in person, but that will never happen so am VERY grateful for such great pics! 😀 😀 😀 ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
My absolute pleasure, and thank you very much for your kind comment. I am looking forward to returning to Castle Acre once the pandemic is over (or under control, at least) and spending longer there – weather permitting, of course! 😀
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writersideup said:
I hope you do!
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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Resa said:
A fabulous post, Claire!
I adore the history, and all the nature bits just add sweetness.
Thank you!!!
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Clare Pooley said:
My very great pleasure, Resa and thank you!
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Stone walls – things of beauty, even/especially when they are old and grey.
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Clare Pooley said:
What a lovely thing to say; thank you, Cynthia! I remember you writing about the stone wall you built by yourself – an amazing feat!
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