Saturday, September 16, 2017

York, England

More driving and sightseeing. This time some really old stuff.

First, it was Hadrian's Wall. It was begun in 122 A.D. This section, Birdoswald Fort was one of 16 forts along the wall. This is the best preserved of any along the wall, along with the longest section of the wall still in existence.






While I was there, the lady at the front desk recommended I go see Lanercost Priory. It was just a few miles up the road, so I went.

It's a 12th century priory (like a monastery) that is partially ruined. It was started in 1169 by Robert de Vaux, who was given the land by Henry II after finally taking this land from Scotland in 1157 as part of the Norman Conquest. He built it order to secure his family's future in the afterlife. The idea was that prayers would be said on their behalf forever. That sorta didn't work out.

This was always a contested area – King Edward I, nicknamed Longshanks, stayed here for 5 months near the end of his life while going to campaign against the Scots. This is the same King Edward of Braveheart fame. Robert Bruce, King of Scotland and contemporary of William Wallace (Braveheart again) attacked this priory in 1311.

But the most damage was done by Henry VIII. When he broke with the Catholic Church, he closed down most of the places like this. The roof was destroyed and the monks dispersed in 1536. Since this was the local church, the roof was replaced over the nave, but they left off the rest, which is how it still stands.




Now, I'm in York. No more tiny, ancient hotels:



Just down the street is this view:



It's the York Minster – their cathedral. I'm going to tour it tomorrow afternoon.






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