Historic churches · North West England
St Bees Priory
St Bees Priory — church, formerly Benedictine priory in Cumbria, England, UK, a cell of St Mary's, York.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Nearest railway station
- St Bees · 0.2 km
- Free entry
About
St Bees Priory is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1120. Built in the Norman architecture style. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Affiliated with Anglicanism. Wikidata describes it as: "church, formerly Benedictine priory in Cumbria, England, UK, a cell of St Mary's, York". Coordinates: 54.4939°, -3.5936°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
St Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria, in England. There is evidence of a pre-Norman religious site, on which a Benedictine priory was founded by the first Norman Lord of Egremont William Meschin. It was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan of York, sometime between 1120 and 1135. Sculptural and charter evidence suggests the site was a principal centre of religious influence in the west of the county, and an extensive parish developed, with detached portions covering much of the Western Lakes. The priory was dissolved in 1539.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: St. Bees Head SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
St Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria, in England. There is evidence of a pre-Norman religious site, on which a Benedictine priory was founded by the first Norman Lord of Egremont William Meschin. It was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan of York, sometime between 1120 and 1135. Sculptural and charter evidence suggests the site was a principal centre of religious influence in the west of the county, and an extensive parish developed, with detached portions covering much of the Western Lakes. The priory was dissolved in 1539. Since then, the buildings have served as the Anglican church of St Bees parish, and are now Grade I listed buildings.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
]] All the church buildings that were in use at the time of the Dissolution are still standing and in use by the parish. However, nothing remains of the domestic buildings of the monks. The Norman west doorway of the priory dates from 1150 to 1160, and is the most richly decorated in the county, with three orders of columns, zig-zag (chevron) ornamentations, and beak-head decorations. Opposite in the west courtyard is a fine Romanesque lintel, which may have served an earlier church, dating from circa 1120. The six nave arcades are Early English arches sitting on the original Norman pillars. The base of the tower is Norman but the arches are Early English. The east wall of the north…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.4939, -3.5936
- District
- Cumberland
- Parish
- St. Bees
- Postcode
- CA27 0DR
- Parliamentary constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington
- Established
- 1120
- Nearest railway station
- St Bees — 0.2 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q7592633 (CC0)
- wikipedia: St Bees Priory (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: St Bees Priory west autumn sun.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is St Bees Priory?
- St Bees Priory is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode CA27 0DR), in the parish of St. Bees.
- When was St Bees Priory built?
- Built or established in 1120.
- Is St Bees Priory a listed building?
- St Bees Priory is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
- Is St Bees Priory a protected site?
- Yes — St Bees Priory is part of the St. Bees Head SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is St Bees Priory free to visit?
- Yes, St Bees Priory is free to enter.
- How do I get to St Bees Priory?
- The nearest railway station is St Bees, about 0.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CA27 0DR.