Lilleshall Abbey on a sunny spring morning ...

Returning from some shopping in a local town, I passed close to my favourite Abbey & just had to stop by.  

You are familiar with it too from previous visits I have shared in 2016, mid 2023 

The gates to the entrance are locked from the end of October until the start of April each year but there is a pedestrian gate you can walk through & down the very muddy road to the Abbey. We have done it several times but you have to have wellies on & so I tend to skip in the wet weather. However, I was mindful all week that the entrance will once again be open to vehicles & so I turned to return home passed the Abbey. 

BLISS - I was the only car in the little road & so I walked amongst the quiet ruins, feeling the deep calm & peace that this place brings when it is quiet. I love the silence when alone there, the history of the Abbey so evident & solid. 

It was founded in 1148 by the Augustinian canons known as black monks for the colour of their robes. They followed a monastic rule but preached in the wider community. They gathered in the choir seven times a day for prayers so this place would have had rhythm to its daily rituals, a sense of calm, reflection & quiet.

The tiny tower in the nave with its narrow stone stairs has to be negotiated carefully when you are alone because they are dark as it curves around but the breeze & view is so worth it, especially when it is quiet. 

I know from reading various sources that we can give & receive energy & I always feel this space radiates calm & peace, as it should, given its history as an Abbey.  It was closed as an Abbey in 1538 as part of the Suppression of the Monasteries.

The Abbey is sited west to east with the enormous Presbytery window now only having the stone outline. In its time it would have been so impressive the the crossing points leading to the Sacristy where the sacred vessels & garments were kept. It was used as a robing room for the  Monks. 

The Sacristy leads to the Slype / passage; it has a heavier atmosphere in there with its low vaulted ceilings & double entrance. It was also the passage to the canons infirmary. 

Monks could meet there & converse without breaking the rule of silence. The outer wall of the slype backs on to what was once the Chapter house. More than 20 burials have been found in this space, it was  previously open but has been recently fenced off as it is so uneven but there are several headstones there & perhaps this is why the slype / passage feels more heavy.

The heavily carved processional arch led from the cloister to the Abbey church, the cloisters in this area are long gone with a massive yew tree in its place. The heavily decorated arch dates back to the 12th century, layers of time. 

The site of the cloisters & Abbots hall & chambers is long gone with just a few stones showing the outline. 

The whole site has an impressive stone wall that greens up with moss in winter, giving it a gentle look that blends in very well.

I loved walking amongst the quiet ruins once more & hope  you have enjoyed my potted history of this special place, the space that still fulfils its spiritual duty, centuries later; perhaps only to those who feel & listen. 

I hope you have a space like this to visit & reset, when you need to quiet your mind ... 

Thank you for your visit, you are always most welcome, 

Dee ⛪️