April 1087 A.D. St. Nicholas Priory, Exeter, Devon, UK—Founded by William the Conqueror & Benedictine Monks; Dissolved 1536
April 1087 A.D. St. Nicholas Priory, Exeter,
Devon, UK—Founded by William the Conqueror & Benedictine Monks; Dissolved 1536; Granted to Sir Thomas Denys; Private Homes Builts on Site, 1820; Monastic
Architecture Restored, Owned by Exeter Corporation, 1913; Opened as Museum, 1916
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St Nicholas Priory
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
The Benedictine Priory of
St Nicholas or just St Nicholas Priory was aBenedictine monastery founded in Exeter, England, in 1087. At the dissolution of the monasteries the church and chapter house range were pulled down but the domestic buildings
were left intact. Parts of the south and west ranges of the monastery survive
with the south range now being a museum owned by Exeter City
Council.
Contents
History
In 1068 William the Conqueror laid siege to Exeter, where the mother of Harold Godwinson, whom he had just defeated in the Battle of
Hastings, was living. After her
hasty departure William gave the church of St Olave at Exeter to Battle Abbey. Monks, who were sent from Battle to administer
the church and its possessions, set about building a monastery with its own
church, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas in 1087. In the 12th and 13th centuries the
Priory gathered gifts of land and property and new monastic buildings were
erected as funds permitted. Hospitality was built into the monastic rule and
a guest house or wing was essential within a monastery. The monks provided
hospitality for pilgrims and other travellers and accommodation for
important guests.
The Priory had a very
important and lively life within the city until the dissolution of the
smaller monasteries by King Henry VIII in 1536, when the monks were pensioned off and
their church and cloisters were pulled down. The remaining buildings and
precinct were then sold by the Crown. Between 1575 and 1602 the building was
turned into an impressive Elizabethan town house. After that the building
became subdivided into houses and businesses. Between 1820 and 1913 the
Priory was divided into five lots of premises and all were given entrance
doors and new windows. Exeter Corporation bought the Priory in 1913 in order
to restore it to show its original monastic architecture. It was opened to
the public as a small museum three years later. Repairs and reinterpretation
were undertaken in 2007 with funding from the HLF and Renaissance. During the
2007 development, the Priory was partially restored to how it looked when it
was a wealthy Tudor merchants house with methods used at the same period 500
years ago.[1] Then, at the beginning of 2009, the priory had
further maintenance, which was carried out by Sub-Lime Renovations.[2]
Museum
As of 1916, the priory has
been used as a museum. It is currently furnished as an Elizabethan town house, home of the wealthy Hurst family, in
1602. It has replica furniture and it is painted in the bright colours used
in the Elizabethan period. It gives an insight into Tudor life from Exeter's collection of artefacts. It has been enhanced with modern amenities
such as toilets and a gift shop. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
Saturdays and from Monday to Saturday during the British school holidays.[4]
References
3. Jump up^ English Heritage. "St Nicholas' Priory (1239752)". National
Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
External links
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