Do you love finding new places to explore. I have lived in Shropshire for 20 years & passed Buildwas Abbey regularly but the gates have always been closed or I have bot had the time to linger there.
Quite by chance this past week, we passed it & the gates were open & I just knew that it was meant to be.
This is the background according to wikipedia
The Cistercian Abbey of St Mary and St Chad was founded in 1135 by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Coventry (1129–1148) as a Savignac monastery and was inhabited by a small community of monks from Furness Abbey. The stone from which it was built was quarried in the nearby settlement of Broseley.
The abbey's location near the border of Wales meant it was destined to have a turbulent history. Welsh Princes and their followers regularly raided the Abbey and on one occasion in 1406, during the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, raiders from Powys even kidnapped the abbot. This however paled in comparison to an earlier event in 1342 where one of the Buildwas monks, Thomas of Tong, murdered his abbot, managed to evade arrest, and then petitioned for re-instatement into the Cistercian order.
I love these places when they are still so that you can feel the atmosphere of the history that envelops it - daughter & I were very fortunate that it was early morning & we were the only visitors. The stillness speaks to me, it gives you time to absorb the history & importance of the building & this was just so.
The arches are so dominant & I can easily imagine silent monks making their way along the corridors & the upper floors which often had corridors in between the walls ...
We could walk quietly between the massive pillars, taking in the vastness of the building & the lovely quietness speaks loudly to me ....
This view reminded me of Roman & Greek architecture
The hugeness of the church looking towards the Nave shows the enormity of the Abbey
Magnificent arches hint at the size & grandeur of the Abbey
One of the corner rooms - looks out ...
Looking back from the back of the crypt toward the entrance again ...
The interesting architectural things are kept in the crypt, what history is contained there. There was a feeling of history there, a weight which you could not escape ...
I was glad to get back out in to the sunshine & the bright blue skies after the cold & darkness of the crypt.
I am so glad that I finally managed to visit this impressive Abbey. There is a similar one, Wedlock Priory just 15 miles away in Much Wedlock that I love visiting too & another Abbey at Lilleshall that I visit often because I love the stillness of it.
I am one of those who find great peace in the stillness of spiritual places - they help you to stay grounded, to keep life in perspective when there are things that trouble you & life needs a stillness to it.
I hope you have enjoyed visiting the amazing Abbey with me, may you have a wonderful week too, thank you for taking the time to stop by - your company & comments are always appreciated.
Dee ~💕~
