Tynemouth Priory
 Abbeys |
The fragmentary remains of Tynemouth Priory rise up from a rocky headland that stands at the mouth of the River Tyne. The remote coastal location of these attractive ruins, with a seaward aspect to one side, and the presence of a castle complex landward, gave to the priory a genuine defensive security simultaneously allied with the sense of monastic isolation.
The prominent headland was home to a much earlier Christian monastery, and is the resting-place of St Oswin, King of Deira, buried there in AD651. This monastery was destroyed by Danish sea raiders in 875. Soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066, the monastery was refounded through the generosity of Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, in 1085, as a Benedictine daughter-house of St Albans Abbey. In addition, the Earl built a castle on the site in 1095, where he was besieged for over two months during a rebellion against William II (1087-1100). He was captured, imprisoned for a long period, and finally permitted to live out the rest of his life in peaceful seclusion as a monk at St Albans.
Tynemouth Priory took over two hundred years for completion and was eventually encompassed by the outer defences of the nearby castle; in fact, this circuit of walls enclosed the entire headland. The priory, in addition to attending to its own duties and functions, was also responsible for the upkeep of both castle and garrison, a costly drain on its resources. This was offset by the accumulated wealth acquired by the monastery from their ownership of various local coal industries.
The priory church is the real attraction of the ruin, its east end still standing to a good height. It may well have been left intact at the Dissolution because of its prominence as a coastal landmark for shipping. In addition, it also fulfilled the role of lighthouse with a blazing coal brazier glowing out from one of the end wall towers; an ancient duty carried on down the centuries by the priory monks. This role ended in 1659 when stairs in the tower collapsed and were not replaced. A new purpose-built lighthouse was constructed nearby.
Rising to an impressive 73ft, the remaining walls of the east end of the church incorporate some very fine details, tall lancet windows, blind arcading inset with recesses and a lovely elongated oval window provide tantalising glimpses of the glory that was. At the furthest point of the east end is a tiny 15 th century chapel that may have been a private chantry of the Percy family, or perhaps a Lady Chapel. Despite being restored in the mid 19 th century, it retains a very attractive interior including elaborate rib vaulting and 33 carved roof bosses described in some detail on site. The west front incorporates some of the elaborate decoration and detail that became an additional feature of the priory's 13 th century rebuilding programme.
After the dissolution of the priory in 1539, Henry VIII refortified the headland, and the site remained as a military stronghold well into the 1960's. When the grounds were taken into the care of the state, most of the later buildings were removed to reveal the earlier medieval stonework, and this is how it is presented today, gaunt and disjointed, but as monastic ruins go, hugely satisfying.