Wenlock Priory

The tranquil ruins of medieval Wenlock Priory stand in a garden setting on the fringe of beautiful Much Wenlock. An Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded here in about 680 by King Merewalh of Mercia,whose abbess daughter Milburge was hailed as a saint. Her relics were miraculously rediscovered here in 1101, attracting both pilgrims and prosperity to the priory.

By then Wenlock had been re- founded by the Normans as a priory of Cluniac monks. It is the impressive remains of this medieval priory which survive today, everywhere reflecting the renowned Cluniac love of elaborate decoration. Parts of the great 13th-century church, once among the finest in England, still stand high; and in the adjoining cloister garth is a most unusual 'lavabo,' or monks' washing fountain, embellished with 12th-century carvings. Once enclosed in an octagonal building, 16 monks could wash here at once before eating in the nearby refectory.

But perhaps the greatest glory of Cluniac Wenlock is the extravagantly decorated chapter house, dating from about 1140. Entered through a three-arched doorway, its walls are bedecked with decorative blind arcading on multiple carved columns. This is a further fine example of the Anglo-Norman architecture at Wenlock Priory.

All of this is set against a backdrop of the complete infirmary wing, converted into a mansion after the priory's dissolution in 1540 and still a private residence, while the beauty of the ruins is enhanced by the famous topiary-filled cloister garden.