Woodspring Priory | |
---|---|
WoodspringPriory.JPG Front of Woodspring Priory |
|
General information | |
Completed | 15th century |
Woodspring Priory is a former Augustinian priory beside the Severn Estuary about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset. It was founded in the early thirteenth century, and dedicated to Thomas Becket (the founder was a grandson of Reginald Fitzurse, one of Becket's murderers). After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the priory was converted into a farmhouse. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[1] It is now owned by the Landmark Trust and rented out as holiday accommodation. There is also a small museum on the site with photographs and information about the history of the priory and its renovation by the Landmark Trust.[2]
The 15th-century barn,[3] east cloister wall,[4] farmhouse range,[5] gatehouse, gates and mounting block,[6] infirmary,[7] and west wall [8] are also listed buildings.
Woodspring Priory is near the scenic limestone promontory of Sand Point otherwise known as Middle Hope, owned by the National Trust. The priory gave its name to the Woodspring District of the former county of Avon, and the Woodspring parliamentary constituency of North Somerset.