Medieval sites
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Abbeys |
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Beany Z's first visit was to the site of Whitby Abbey on the Yorkshire
coast.
Beany Z says:
This is a great place to visit. The abbey is on a cliff
top with views across the fishing port of Whitby. It was founded by
St. Hilda in 657AD as a joint monastery (for monks) and nunnery (for
nuns). The ruins you can see in the background are later, and were built
in the 13th century.
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Castles |
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Our second medieval visit is to
the site of Castle Rising near Kings Lynn in Norfolk.
Beany Z says:
The well-preserved castle at Castle Rising consists of a square, stone-built keep inside an oval ringwork with high earthen banks, and two outer bailey areas. The original Romanesque architecture survives well, but the castle was heavily remodelled in the 16th century, and Tudor brickwork can be seen throughout.
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A completely different style of castle is Framlingham in North-East Suffolk.
Beany Z says:
Framlingham is a curtain wall castle, one of the earliest in England to be built with defensive towers. There are thirteen of these, all square with open backs. This phase of the castle dates to c.1190 and was constructed by Roger Bigod on the site of an earlier castle built by his father. The early buildings which would have stood inside the walls have all gone, although foundations can be seen, and there is an 18th century house on the site of one of the halls.
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Our third castle is Blackness on the shore of the Firth of Forth to the west of Edinburgh.
Beany Z says:
This is another different form of castle. It was built in the 15th century, but as a garrison rather than a lordly residence, and it later served as a prison. It is sometimes called 'the ship that never sailed', because it projects into the sea like the hull of a gigantic stone vessel.
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Houses |
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Beanie Z's next visit is to
the site of Blakeney 'Guildhall' in North Norfolk.
Beany Z says:
The 'Guildhall' in Blakeney is the remains of a substantial flint and brick building which probably belonged to a wealthy merchant. The remains consist of a brick-vaulted undercroft, where goods or food and drink would have been stored. The upper storey, now lost, was probably the main living quarters and shop, with another storey above for bedrooms.
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Churches and chapels |
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The first church we visited was at Coney Weston in Suffolk.
Beany Z says:
The village of Coney Weston has a small church some distance from the centre. This usually means that the village has shifted from its Saxon or medieval centre, and that remains of this date are buried.
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Transportation |
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Postbridge clapper bridge, Dartmoor, is one of several such bridges which were constructed for pack horses.
Beany Z says:
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