Lanercost Priory

Two visits to Lanercost within a week, the first with my sister and the second with Sal. I'm using the photos from my first visit and the narrative from my second!

I love visiting old Churches, especially in the Dales and Cumbria because they are so quiet and peaceful inside and are seeped in history. Lanercost is no exception with it sitting in the tranquil valley of the River Irthing. The Augustinian Priory was founded around 1166 by Robert de Vaux and was built mostly from stone taken from nearby Hadrian's Wall. It was completed in 1220.

The Priory has quite a violent history due to it being located so close to the Scottish border. Edward I stayed here three times (1280, 1300, 1306) when he conducted raids against the Scots and on the last occasion, when he fell ill, he stayed the winter at the abbey. The Scots set fire to the cloister in 1296 and two famous Scots, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce also attacked the priory. Raids continued well into the 14th century when, unfortunately, bills for repairs needed more money than they had available which meant that the land had to be sold to cover the costs.

Lanercost was one of the first priories dissolved by Henry VIII. He gave the buildings and the land to Sir Thomas, Lord Dacre, the illegitimate son of Lord Dacre of Naworth who's castle is nearby. He turned part of the Priory into a country mansion called Dacre Hall, and started residing there in 1559. Unfortunately the priory then fell in to ruin once the male line of the family had all passed away.

The ruins are approached through an archway which was once the gatehouse. Remains of parts of the north and south transepts, choir, sanctuary, cloister, chapter house, and undercroft still survive. The chapels are home to some very striking tombs. These include the imposing tomb of Sir Humphrey Dacre, who died in 1485, and his wife Lady Mabel. Rather more recent is the tomb of Charles Howard, 10th Earl of Carlisle, designed by the architect Robert Lorimer and placed here following the Earl's death in 1912. But without doubt the most poignant memorial is a life size terracotta effigy of Elizabeth Dacre Howard, who died on 17 July 1883 at the age of just four months.

The Priory Church of St Mary Magdalene has an unusual medieval stone carving called the Lanercost Cross with an inscription dating back to 1214. Originally the cross was set just outside the entrance to the church and the stump still remains there but the main shaft is now housed inside the priory.

Our visit there started off with a coffee in the excellent cafe. We had to use lots of will power to resist having either a bacon sandwich or one of the scrummy cakes they sell. It is one of those cafes, or should I say tearooms, which is run by the local community and they inevitably turn out to be the best and friendliest. Justifiably so, it is quite busy as it is a convenient "stop off" for people visiting Hadrian's Wall country.

After our coffee break we took a short stroll around the Priory's graveyard and then walked across to the River Irthing where we were lucky enough to see a heron. We followed the riverbank to the old Lanercost Bridge before returning via the road to the car park. I will have to check my OS maps before our next visit so that we can extend our walk and take in more of the surrounding countryside.

Over the years I have come to love this part of the country because it is so varied. On the one hand you have the peace and tranquillity of the Lanercost and Brampton area which, only a few miles away, is contrasted by the stark wilderness of Hadrian's Wall and the large, open expanse of Northumberland.

The Lakes weather forecast hadn't been very good and it was the height of the holiday season so our escape plan (not that we needed a plan) worked perfectly.