Much Wenlock Priory
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The spectacular ruins of Wenlock Priory in Much Wenlock, Shropshire (grid reference SJ625001) are the remains of a 12th century church that belonged to the Cluniac monastery, refounded in 1079 and 1082, on the site of an earlier 7th century foundation, by Roger de Montgomery. It is thought to be the final resting place of Saint Milburga, whose bones were reputedly discovered during restoration work in 1101.
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[edit] Early history
Merewalh, King of the Magonsaete founded the original Anglo-Saxon monastery here circa 680 and Merewalh's daughter quickly became its abbess. She was later canonised.
After her death circa 727 little is historically known of the monastery until the Norman Conquest. But the priory was inhabited by monks until after the Norman conquest.
Following the reformation of the monastery, in the early fourteenth century, the priory church was lavishly and completely rebuilt.
Considerable remains are left of the 350ft long church, including the north and south transept and the naive.
[edit] Dissolution
Following the dissolution in 1540, several buildings, including the late 15th century Priors House were converted into a private residence. It remains inhabited to this day, and so is not accessible, however the fine architecture can still be seen and incorporates Norman and 15th century work. This gives us a clue of how grand the original priory church would have been.
[edit] Today
Today, Wenlock Priory is much used as a place to sit on a warm, mid-summers day and relax. The grounds have a well groomed collection of topiary.
Around the Priory, the town of Much Wenlock was formed and it remains a thriving centre to this day. The town is made up of a small network of intricate, narrow streets lined with black and white old buildings and shops. Within the town is the well of St Milburga which was said to have cured sight impairments and helped Victorian women find a suitor.
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