Brinkburn Priory lies in a secluded and enchanting setting, tucked away in woodland within loop of the River Coquet. It was founded in the 1130s as a community of Augustinian canons, although the earliest surviving buildings date from the end of the twelfth century. Never a wealthy house, and frequently troubled by Scottish raids, it was one of the first monasteries to be closed at the Dissolution in 1536.
After the Dissolution the priory church was used for a while as the parish church, while parts of the monastic buildings were adapted to form a manor house. The condition of the church rapidly deteriorated, but after years of neglect it was carefully reroofed and restored in the mid-nineteenth century, and stands today as one of the finest examples of early Gothic architecture in Northumberland.*
*From English Heritage Brinkburn Priory handbook
Tags: Augustinian, Brinkburn Priory, Northumber- land, Vacation
Heaven and earth are not distant enough to separate the hearts which our Lord has joined.
St Francis de Sales
Tags: Cherie's Place Thought, Salisbury, Salisbury Cathedral, Vacation
The walls in the central hall at Wallington art covered in Pre-Raphaelite paintings by William Bell Scott. The paintings depict scenes from great moments in the history of Northumberland.
The result is a triumph of Pre-Raphaelite art, a colourful and vividly refreshing Victorian idealised vision of history, from the age of Celtic saints to the industrial revolution in the north. One panel shows the building of Hadrian’s Wall, another the famous scene of Grace Darling and her father heroically rowing to save stranded sailors off the Farne islands.
Tags: National Trust, Northumber- land, Vacation, Wallington, William Bell Scott
This photo taken through glass and in dim light is far from perfect but I wanted to share this exquisite model with you.
A model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem which stood from 1145 until 1808. Perhaps more correctly called the Church of the Resurrection, this model is one of many made by craftsmen in Bethlehem under Franciscan supervision, or by the Franciscans themselves. At least four examples have survived in England. The Church is shown as it was between 1554 and 1719 and each part can be removed giving access to the interior.*
*From an information sheet next to the model
Tags: Bethlehem, Church of the Hly Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Model, National Trust, Northumber- land, Vacation, Wallington
