Visited with Clebby,what I thought would be a rather stagnant place turned out to be a cracker...
For over 900 years Prinknish land has been associated with Benedictine monks.In more recent times the monks lived in a small converted set of farm buildings called St Peters grange,but as the numbers grew ambitious plans were agreed-in 1972 the monks moved into the new abbey. With a gift shop,six varities of incense made from a secret ingredient and sold all over the world and a successful pottery (the clay seam was discovered by monks digging in the garden) all seemed to be going well. For some reason the pottery part was sold off to the Welsh Pottery Co after 55 years.
As numbers dwindled from 60 down to 12 monks,history came full circle and in 2008 the monks moved back into the Grange. Father Abbot Francis Baird,65,led them back after a leaving ceremony,probably muttering obscenities under his breath... The plan was for the abbey to be sold and converted-into flats not into a different religion!
As Clebby pointed out,you don't expect to find anything beautiful in an ugly building like this,but we did. I struggled to warm to the place at first but then didn't want to leave its strange draw on me. A once important house of prayer now empty,abused and starting to fall into disrepair.
You can feel the indignity.
We rushed to find the chapel..
we weren't disappointed
Lots of nice personal details everywhere
The monks 'cells' were surprisingly tiny
View from the roof was stunning
Gold Tabernacle detail- 'this is my body you eat,this is my blood you drink..'
Working our way back down,this fireplace was absolutely huge!
Once home to 44'000 books,now the library is the live in secca playground,as is the rest of this huge building
And this is secca's charming bedsit for when hes not jumping his bmx around the corridors or riding his pitbike ripping up floors etc
Finding dozens of plans revealed what the impossibly small room in the kitchen was- a tramps shelter,but what is it used for?
Well equipped kitchen/cold store/pantry
The monks would rise at 4:40am,have an hours mass,then breakfast.They would eat in total silence,when finished they 'would wash their cutlery in cold water and wipe with their napkins.' Then return to mass before gardening or reading before mass again.
It wasn't all bad though..
Laundry room- we both fell for this 1970 Avamore (a sister-matic?)washing machine
Is this where you can get rid of a dirty habit? Im sorry.
This place saved the best for last,finding the book bindary and workshop untouched and unspoilt was like stepping back in time.
Almost finished carving somehow poignant to end on..
Hope you enjoyed,thanks for looking.
For over 900 years Prinknish land has been associated with Benedictine monks.In more recent times the monks lived in a small converted set of farm buildings called St Peters grange,but as the numbers grew ambitious plans were agreed-in 1972 the monks moved into the new abbey. With a gift shop,six varities of incense made from a secret ingredient and sold all over the world and a successful pottery (the clay seam was discovered by monks digging in the garden) all seemed to be going well. For some reason the pottery part was sold off to the Welsh Pottery Co after 55 years.
As numbers dwindled from 60 down to 12 monks,history came full circle and in 2008 the monks moved back into the Grange. Father Abbot Francis Baird,65,led them back after a leaving ceremony,probably muttering obscenities under his breath... The plan was for the abbey to be sold and converted-into flats not into a different religion!
As Clebby pointed out,you don't expect to find anything beautiful in an ugly building like this,but we did. I struggled to warm to the place at first but then didn't want to leave its strange draw on me. A once important house of prayer now empty,abused and starting to fall into disrepair.
You can feel the indignity.
We rushed to find the chapel..
we weren't disappointed
Lots of nice personal details everywhere
The monks 'cells' were surprisingly tiny
View from the roof was stunning
Gold Tabernacle detail- 'this is my body you eat,this is my blood you drink..'
Working our way back down,this fireplace was absolutely huge!
Once home to 44'000 books,now the library is the live in secca playground,as is the rest of this huge building
And this is secca's charming bedsit for when hes not jumping his bmx around the corridors or riding his pitbike ripping up floors etc
Finding dozens of plans revealed what the impossibly small room in the kitchen was- a tramps shelter,but what is it used for?
Well equipped kitchen/cold store/pantry
The monks would rise at 4:40am,have an hours mass,then breakfast.They would eat in total silence,when finished they 'would wash their cutlery in cold water and wipe with their napkins.' Then return to mass before gardening or reading before mass again.
It wasn't all bad though..
Laundry room- we both fell for this 1970 Avamore (a sister-matic?)washing machine
Is this where you can get rid of a dirty habit? Im sorry.
This place saved the best for last,finding the book bindary and workshop untouched and unspoilt was like stepping back in time.
Almost finished carving somehow poignant to end on..
Hope you enjoyed,thanks for looking.
Pity it"s so far away
