Moving Home

Llanthony Secunda Tithe Barn

My loyal reader has complained that there have been no new posts recently. Hopefully this will remedy the situation, as well as giving them a nice surprise when they see the title.

Inside the tithe barn

But no, I haven't decided to move home. Rather, this post is inspired by a group of pious gentlefolk who set up a monastic retreat in a Welsh Valley, early in the 1100's. It grew to become Llanthony Priory but wasn't a great success — primarily due to the inhospitality of the locals, who strongly resented the presence of their Norman invaders and raided it frequently. And who can blame them? All that wealth concentrated in a small community of foreigners must have been hard to stomach. The monks wisely retreated to the safety of Gloucester, where they established Llanthony Secunda.

My Aunt Sarah and I enjoyed a day in Gloucester a few weeks ago. After a hearty lunch at Zizzi's, I suggested walking off a few calories by going in search of the Augustinian's 'new' home, wondering what might be left of it. Answer... not a lot. Where church and cloisters once stood there is just a large green lawn.  Beyond that were the remains of an imposing Tithe Barn and some tumbled-down walls that were hard to interpret.  Silly me – if I'd spent a little time beforehand exploring the Llanthony Secunda Trust's website, it might have made the visit more interesting.

The largest and most impressive building still standing is a medieval range, adjoining a Victorian farmhouse. Unfortunately for Sarah and me, the Trust recently landed a £3 million lottery grant to renovate the buildings and make them suitable for community use, and they're currently shrouded in scaffolding and blue netting. I look forward to seeing the end result.

Meanwhile, back in Wales – and two centuries after the old religious community had fled to Gloucester – the priory was re-established in grand style. This time it prospered for the best part of 200 years, before being attacked once more, this time by supporters of the great Owen Glyndwr. Again, most of the monks fled to Gloucester. Then, after another hundred years or so, came the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII... and that was that.

I explored the remains of Llanthony Priory in 2014, when it was the starting point for a pleasant ramble down the Avon Honddu valley, then back over Hatterrall Hill and along part of the Offa's Dyke path.

As you can see, the place has fared rather better than its Gloucester cousin. The ruins are quite impressive and the grounds are a great place for a pre-ramble picnic. What is more, there's a car park and access is free.

There remains one more 'Llanthony' to explore. Had I known about it back in 2014 then I would surely have visited.  As it is, Llanthony Tertia will be part of some future exploration of the eastern Brecon Beacons.