Castle Acre

In this post I'm taking you back to Norfolk where we spent a few days at the end of June.  There are still a couple of places that I want to record, I've already written a post on Castle Rising and Pensthorpe Waterfowl Gardens so next up is Castle Acre.  It is a lovely village and boasts the ruins of both a Priory and a Castle and we visited both.

It was quite a warm day - seems like a dream after the weather we've been experiencing lately - but warm it was.  We were the first visitors to arrive at the Priory ruins that day so, like we did with Castle Rising, had the place to ourselves for about half an hour which was good for taking photographs without feeling I was in anyone's way.

Both the Castle and the Priory were built by the de Warenne family.  William de Warenne was a Norman Knight who fought at the Battle of Hastings built the castle and his son and other descendants founded the Priory towards the end of the 11th century.  Here is a - link - to more of its history.

 

The West front of the Priory church which even in ruins is very impressive in length and height.  The monks at Castle Acre Priory were members of the Cluniac order and they were noted for their seven assemblies each day which were very elaborate with processions, masses, songs and prayer, for which this long elegant church must have been an inspirational backdrop.

The outer entrance porch to the right of the photos and the Prior's Lodgings

The Nave of the Priory Church showing part of the 15th century west window.

The steps would have led to the monk's dormitory on the first floor

The latrine block - the infirmary would have been above this

A side view of the Prior's Lodgings

A view of the Priory ruins from the Brew House, the priory had its own kitchens, fishponds, brew house, bakery, water mill and barn and as you wander around you can spot where these would have been.

You can stand on the little balcony above as you go inside the Prior's Lodgings.

Underneath the West range which contains the Prior's Lodgings which include a study and a private chapel.

The Prior's Study

Above some of the smaller architectural details I spotted on the way round the ruins

As you enter the visitor centre and entrance you pass by the herb garden which is tucked away at the side.  It was in a very pretty courtyard with herbs set in four sections for use in the Priory - herbs for strewing, healing, decorative and culinary uses.  There were many herbs and scented geraniums for sale too and I'd meant to go back to have a better look before moving on to the castle, but I changed my mind as I was so tempted to buy plants and we couldn't have looked after them on our travels.

The castle is a fine example of a motte and bailey castle and the inner and outer baileys are clearly still very well defined.  You can walk through the village from the Priory to the Castle or the other way round of course as there is ample parking at both places.  We decided to take the car with us as we wanted to have a picnic lunch at the castle and it seemed easier to take it with us.

The inner bailey on the hill

From the walkway above castle walls you can see where the main entrance to the castle would have been.  Above is what remains of the west gate.

In my next 'return to Norfolk' post I want to tell you about Oxburgh Hall, but there may be another Five on Friday and the July Scavenger Hunt before then.  I still have some photos to get for the scavenger hunt as I'm struggling a bit with it for some reason.