I've been in the Priory once before but only had about 15 minutes so it was good to have longer to explore the interior.
A church on this site was originally founded in 660AD . We'll hear more about the legend surrounding this a bit later in the post! The original monastery appears to have become a nunnery (Benedictines) by 1100 but it was destroyed. In 1125 Henry I refounded the monastery at Leominster as a Priory giving it to Reading Abbey. The church was dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.
Initially parishioners of the town used the Norman nave attached to the East of the monastic church but conflicts arose as we read in the last post which led to the building of Forbury Chapel in Church Street for the use of the parish. This did not suit the ambitions of the burgesses and a new nave south of the Norman nave was built and consecrated in 1239. A century later the South Aisle in the Decorated style was added.
The monastery was dissolved in 1539 at the Dissolution. The Monastic parts of the building were destroyed and stone, metal and glass sold. At the end of the C17th a bad fire destroyed medieval art in the church with a few exceptions such as the Wheel of Life Wall Painting and some old sculptures.
There was a restoration and re-ordering of the church by Geroge Gilbert Scott 1862-69 which continued until the C20th
West front of the Priory
West door with carvings by the Herefordshire School of Romanesque Carvers
If you want to see more photos and read more details of the exterior of the priory which I didn't really explore fully this time please see Leominster Priory Exterior This post contains a lot more information on the capitals of the west door and the Herefordshire School of the Romanesque. The exterior is as fascinating and interesting as the interior.
Oontitoomps!! - they have moles here!
The South Parish aisle is a showcase of the Decorated Style with its ballflower decorations.
The South porch rebuilt in the early C14th has tall slender shafts and stiff leaf decoration on the capitals.
The Parish Nave
I haven't been able to find out anything about these chairs but the carvings were wonderful.
The font dates back to 1842. It has a wine glass shape and copies the C14th font at St Mary Magdalene, Oxford.
Consecration Cross
On this visit I remembered to look at the interior of the West Door which has carvings by the the Herefordshire School. This capital has a loose single stranded interlace and the upright of the abacus has dart foliage with stylised roses on the chamfer.
This capital has a human mask with vines issuing forth from the mouth and a plaited beard. Or is it a Green Man or a Foliated Headed Man???
Here we have another mask with vines sprouting everywhere.
In the middle of the carving below you can just make out a miniature carving of Samson killing the lion. Next time I will get a better photo!
Again I wasn't sure whether to include this photo of the ducking stool but as the Priory points out it is an objectionable item but it is a unique object of English social history. It was made around 1718 and last used in 1809 (the last known use in England).
I still haven't seen the original c1275 Wheel of Life Wall painting which I think is in a vestry (perhaps kept locked?) but this diagram illustrates the painting which has a circle of roundels showing the Six Ages of Man
The Norman north nave
Church Teddy Bears in the Children's corner. I hadn't got Timothy with me :(
There were many more memorials and tablets in the North aisle but it was too dark and they were too high up to get photos.
Not the best of photos but this is Mr Gwilliam's iron plough. He was a champion ploughman and the plough is used in Plough Sunday services.
This is the Leominster Knot Tapestry which includes the Priory and the Grange and was woven by members of the community at the Leominster Festival Fun Day which was part of the Platinium Jubilee Celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022.
The Leominster (or The Corporation) knot which you can see is seen everywhere in Leominster. It has been in use for hundreds of years although its origin is unknown. It appears on a manuscript of 1616 giving details of the town's charter. The tapestry was designed and overseen by the Echo Weavers group.
1908 pulpit
This piece of work was exquisite.
Kyiv the Lion
The legend concerning the founding of the church tells that Edfrith, a missionary from Lindisfarne, had a call from God to travel and he found himself in a marshy area (now Leominster) when a lion approached him and he shared his meal with the lion who lay down at his feet to sleep. King Merewalh, a pagan, had been having nightmares and he asked Edfrith to interpret them. St Edfrith explained the prayers and converted the king to Christianity. The holy man suggest the minster should be built on the site where he saw the lion. Today there are many representations of lions found around the town.
Roof of the Norman Nave
East Window by Kempe and Co 1922 showing the Crucifixion, Instruments of the Passion, Saints and Angels.
More stained glass many by Kempe
A more modern window
Piscian and Sedilia with ballflower decoration.
At least this time I saw some of the features I missed on the first visit but again I managed to miss an old font and the C14th floor tiles!
A few last photos from the exterior.
On the following day Thursday, the 22nd, D and I went to Weobley and Dilwyn. I finally got chance to have a better look at Weobley church and found the labyrinth in the churchyard at Dilwyn which I'll write about in the next two posts.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
Reference: Information Boards in the Church
Pevsner Buildings of England Herefordshire by Nikolaus Pevsner and Alan Brooks Yale University Press 2012
Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture by Malcolm Thurlby Logaston Press 2016
Herefordshire Folklore by Roy Palmer Logaston Press 2009
Leominster Priory Our History website
13 comments:
There are some really beautiful details in this church, aren't there? Super carvings. stained glass. And some sort of fabric triptych is it.? There was a very interesting segment on BBC news this morning. I've sent you the information. If anyone else is interested it it's on this morning's BBC news on iPlayer. at around 10 minutes past 8. The gentleman goes round churchyards cleaning and restoring the graves of war veterans. I'm sure you'll be very interested in it. After he's cleaned the years of lichen and ivy, and general mess from them, as soon as the lettering is readable he takes a photograph and sends it off to a researcher who then finds out the history of the soldier. who is buried in that grave. Quite fascinating.
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. There are some super features in that Priory and so much history and thanks so much for the information on bbc news. David's been opening his presents but I'm off to watch it now. Sounds so interesting.
I'm glad you had much longer in the Priory this time and did it proud with the photos. So much to see. They had an orchestra and choir practising in one half of it when Tam and I were there so we only saw half the interior. What a pity that bad fire destroyed so much of the past there.
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. Just watched it and its an amazing story - what a difference they make to the gravestones and the fact they are researched after is wonderful. So sad about the man who lost his son recently though.
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. Fires in past centuries have done so much damage to places :( A shame you missed half although nce to listen to the choir and orchestra - I've found at times cathedrals in particular are closed due to services and Witley Court Church had just closed for a concert! I hope you can return to Leominster Priory soon.
Leominster Priory looks really interesting, it has so much history.
For some reason we didn't get the most out of Leominster when we visited a few years ago. We need to go back and find the things that you have shared in your posts :-)
CherryPie - Thanks so much. Leominster has a lot to offer that is not apparent when you just drive through or briefly visit. The Grange and Priory are particularly wonderful and there are some lovely green spaces in that area too.
There are so many different things to see inside that you would probably need to return a few times to see everything and take it all its glories. The windows, stone work and carvings look interesting. The lion is wonderful, I assume it's a fairly new addition? I see you spotted some fox and cubs in the churchyard too:)
Rosie - Thanks so much and I agree it needs several visits because its quite a large church. Yes, the lion is new - it certainly wasn't there on my first visit. Always good to see Fox and Cubs :)
Loving the story of Edfrith and a lion in the Leominster swamps. I'm not 100% sure this is true, (the Midlands were not well known for wandering lions - LOL), but a good yarn and I didn't know that this was a very early Christian site - it's beautiful.
The Wessex Reiver - Thanks so much. lol re: the wandering lions. I love reading folklore and the old legends and myths but sadly I think most have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Yes it is a beautiful site and full of history :)
I am sooo jealous that you have been there, I've passed it many times and always wondered what it was like inside. You have whetted my appetite to visit.
The Clerics Trail, I added a map to the blog I wrote back when lockdown was on, hope it is useful
https://thechurchexporer.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-clerics-trail.html
Billy Blue Eyes - Thanks so much. You must stop off and visit. Big car park just after B and Q and if you walk out of back entrance to car park (opp end to entrance) and up a hill on a path you come out at the Priory.
Thanks re the Clerics Trail I will certainly check out your map.
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