Today we’ll pick up where we stopped yesterday. There wasn’t that much left so we have a relaxing morning and have breakfast outside as summer has returned to England too.
The first stop of the day is Wenlock priory, an old monastery which dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. But the remains we visit today are from the 13th century when the monastery was refounded by monks from Cluny, France. The story is the same as with all monastic buildings in the UK, this one too fell in disrepair after the dessillusion in 1536. What remains today are the still impressive ruins of the church. We walk around in the morning sun and help the children on their treasure hunt.
As we exit the priory we strike up a conversation with a fellow traveller with a dog. The children are very interested but afraid at the same time. After many reassurances the children finally pet the dog. The woman gets some treats so the kids can feed the dog, but this is one step too far for Cleo. We bid her farewell and wave the dog goodbye and head to the nearby abbey.
Buildwas abbey is just 5 minutes away and completly deserted. It’s a former Cistercian monastery located on the banks of the River Severn. We take our lunch with us and have a picnic in the shade on the grounds of the abbey. There are some remains of the cloister and the bottom two arches of the church still stand strong. When we exit we cross the Severn and follow it for a couple of minutes until we reach Ironbridge.
Ironbridge is considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it was here that large scale production of cast iron was pioneered. And as its name suggest, the world’s oldest cast iron bridge spans the river Severn. We start at the museum of the Gorge which explains a bit more about the area but the main focus was on teddy bears by the brand Merrythought which is still based in Ironbridge.
From the museum it’s a short walk along the river to the actual bridge. It’s not that huge but still interesting, in the old toll house is a small exposition with some more facts about the bridge. We decide to skip the other museums in this World Heritage Site as they all charge an entrance fee and we already have two passes for all kinds of museums, castles etc.
Just accross the bridge is such a site, Benthall Hall, another English manor house. But as we drive through the entrance gate, Tim fears that it’s closed today. The almost empty parking seems to confirm this although there are two people at the reception. A quick check confirms that the manor is closed on Thursday and Friday so we have to adjust our schedule.
Between here and our holiday home lies another castle which wasn’t that highly rated in the preperation phase but we’ll give it a go anyway. Acton Burnell Castle is more of a manor than a proper castle but the casco of the four walls and tower in red stone remain. The site is of historic importance as it was the first time the English parliament was held with the Commons present. The parliament was held here as king Edward I stayed for two months in the castle. It’s also a perfect castle to build hide and seek, we have much fun to sneek around the castle walls.
We drive back to our holiday home to relax, play with the new water toys and read some of our books.
