Thornton Abbey

I've already shown you the gatehouse (from both the inside and outside) at Thornton Abbey but here is a photo of the remains of the abbey.

In comparison to the gatehouse there is very little of the abbey still remaining other then the foundation walls. In fact all that is left is a couple of sides of the chapter house.

Thornton Abbey: The Gatehouse seen from Inside

Continuing on from yesterday's post here is a view of the gatehouse at Thornton Abbey as seen from inside the monastic enclosure.

Definitely not as ornate as the outside. There are quite a few archways in the wall, apparently these were not meant to be functionally but are included simply to reduce the amount of brick needed to build the curtain wall.

Thornton Abbey: The Gatehouse

On Monday we drove the short distance from the Reeds Hotel to the nearby Thornton Abbey. I'll probably do a few posts on the abbey and it's grounds but I'll start with the gatehouse.

According to English Heritage:

The enormous and ornate fortified gatehouse of Thornton Abbey is the largest and among the finest of all English monastic gatehouses. An early example of brick building in England, it proclaimed the wool trade based prosperity of one of the wealthiest English Augustinian monasteries, for centuries a focus of spiritual and economic influence. Begun in the 1360s, the gatehouse was enlarged and fortified with battlements after the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, presumably as insurance against further trouble. Standing some 21 metres (69 feet) high and resembling a castle keep gatehouse, it may have protected the abbey's treasures, as well as providing spacious lodgings for the abbot and his guests.

The photo is a large panorama so you can get a feel of just how ornate sections of the gatehouse really are by clicking on it and then zooming in and having a really close look.