English Heritage near Longframlington , Morpeth, but do you know where it is and is it worth visiting?
There are many hidden treasures in the North East of England , so would you be expecting to find this one in the country?
This is the Priory , there is a short walk down a hill from the car park to get here which is pretty standard for most people but if you can drive a car to a few meters from the priory if you need to.
This is the Manor House which looks pretty modest here but I can show you that there is a lot more to it.
The Priory was originally built in the 12 Century and the Manor House was built on the site of the monastic buildings. This was something that had originally puzzled me. I could see the impressive Church Building but I was looking for where the monks would be living. When you have a building that has so much history there are , of course changes through the years. So yes, Priory and monks originally , but the site has evolved over the years.
In the scale of things , this is quite a small site and that has probably saved it through the years. That and the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere.
This is from the inside of the Manor House and you can see how deceptively big the Manor House is compared to the initial outside view.
Partially restored you can get a flavour of what a grand building this was.
English Estates have produced a lot of information about the Priory and the Manor House. I don’t want to spoil your adventure when you go to see it. I think it is part of the experience of the visit learning the history of the place.
Back to the Priory. Clearly many changes over the years and currently restored to a high standard. It is easy to forget that this place has been a working place of worship for hundreds of years.
This is the back of the Priory , this is something that you would normally see in a big city , not out in the country.
Another surprise.
Quite impressive.
This is the first impression of the Priory as you walk down to the bottom of the hill.
This is the view from the back of the buildings. Just a lovely place to live.
Housing just a few yards from the Priory.
The river Coquet runs past , what is not to like?
The other side of the Manor House with the river running past.
This is just a taster , to tempt you to go. It is a peaceful pleasant place. I can see why people would have enjoyed living here. Probably the worst nightmare for teenagers to visit and the hill will be a challenge for some people and you can see that it is a bit of , “what you see is what you get”. Some people will want to spend a lot of time here. Personally , I would have it as one of the things to do on a day out.
Let me know in the comments what you think. Maybe you have a different view. Some will want to do some research before they go, I tend to just go with the flow in life.
