URGENT protection has been called for at an historic priory site after arsonists destroyed one of the region’s finest medieval barns. The 14th-century thatched and timber building at St Bartholomew’s Priory, in Clermont Avenue, Sudbury, has been lost following the blaze on Tuesday night. Police have now confirmed that the fire is being treated as…
Category Archives: Architecture
Design firm restores medieval banquet hall
A medieval banquet hall has been restored to its original glory – thanks to a South Tyneside design company. Hebburn-based Restaurant Design Associates (RDA) was appointed by the award-winning Blackfriars eaterie in Newcastle to renovate a 50-seat 13th century banquet hall. The restaurant is one of the oldest dining rooms in the UK, dating back…
Westminster Abbey – a royal wedding venue steeped in history
No fewer than 38 kings and queens have been crowned there in an unbroken run since it was built by Edward the Confessor on the site of a former monastery in the 11th century. He was buried at the Abbey in 1066 and on Christmas Day that year, William the Conqueror became the first monarch…
Sacred mysteries: London’s hidden medieval priory
In one of the heaviest raids of the Blitz, on the night of Saturday, May 11, 1941, incendiaries set fire to a remarkable medieval survival in central London: the Charterhouse. The chapel was saved, thanks to a timely shutting of the door from the cloisters, but the ranges around the quadrangles called Master’s Court and…
Find out more about medieval moat at Barrs Court
The Friends of Barrs Court Moat, the conservation group which looks after the 14th century relic, is planning to hold a working weekend at the two-are site on October 23 and 24. If you are interested in learning more about the historic ancient monument site you are invited to the group’s next quarterly meeting which…
New US Embassy Adopts Defenses From Middle Ages
A US embassy is expected to extend the welcoming hand of democracy—while maintaining a 30-meter zone of blast protection. Such was the challenge facing KieranTimberlake when the architectural firm entered a State Department competition to design a new embassy on the banks of the Thames in London. Its winning plan, to be built by 2017,…
Piece of medieval history for sale at knockdown price
It’s a slice of medieval history at a bargain price. But anyone who buys the 14th century tithe barn at Easington in Holderness may find development opportunities limited. The listed building will go under the hammer at a property auction on September 16 at a guide price of £125,000. The barn, at the rear of…
Great Hospital in Norwich could open to more visitors
The current master of the 13th Century Great Hospital in Norwich is keen to open up more of the site to visitors. Kevin Pellatt wants to promote the hospital’s vast history and allow visitors to see its medieval, Georgian and Victorian buildings up-close. “It’s a regret that not more people know of us,” said Mr…
The manor which dates back to the Norman era
Cambridgeshire is the home of one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in England. The Manor at Hemingford Grey was begun by the Normans in 1130 and parts of the house have changed little since then. The thick stone walls mean truly freezing winter conditions, according to its current owner, Diana Boston. “I sleep in…
Wells Cathedral clock to go electric
A historic clock is to go electric – because the man whose family has kept it ticking for 80 years is retiring. Generations of Paul Fisher’s family have wound the clock at Wells Cathedral. But, after Mr Fisher announced his decision to quit, the cathedral said it was to fit an electric motor. Installed in…
Beware of the cobbles: Parishioners told path at 1,300 year-old medieval abbey is too dangerous to walk on
For 1,300 years worshippers and visitors have trodden the cobbled path to the medieval abbey. Few, it appears will now be following them after the route fell foul of the modern obsession with health and safety. Councillors fear that someone could trip on the uneven surface at Sherborne Abbey, Dorset, and sue them for compensation….
Grant saves historic medieval hall
The future of the most significant inhabited building at risk in Wales is now secure. Almost £700,000 has been pledged in funding to secure Llwyn Celyn, a Grade 1 listed medieval hall house in Stanton, near Abergavenny. The National heritage memorial fund and Cadw will inject a total of £670,000 into the building in the…
Medieval earth floor discovered in church
A medieval earth floor has been uncovered at a village church which is undergoing a massive renovation. The discovery was made by builders at St James’ Church, Aslackby, last month. Churchwarden Chris Gudgin, 67, of The Old Vicarage, Aslackby, said it was exciting. He said: “The builders found it while relaying a stone floor. “It…
Medieval Georgian Sites Placed On UNESCO Endangered List
The Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, two jewels of medieval Georgian architecture, are under threat. That’s according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), whose World Heritage Committee is holding its annual session this week in Brazil. The committee maintains a catalog of nearly 900 natural and cultural sites of “outstanding universal…
Wales spends to save its historic fabric
Archivist note: We first reported this story here. There is now a complete list of buildings receiving grant money for restoration. Wales’s oldest theatre, its largest chapel and an Anglesey church with Tudor connections are among 24 historic buildings sharing funding of £999,124 announced today by Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones. The Welsh Assembly…
