Quarr Abbey

We left Ventnor this morning under a grey, hazy sky and drove though Ryde towards Fishbourne, where the ferry terminal is, to see Quarr Abbey, or to give it its full title, the Abbey of Our Lady of Quarr. Strangely, it was built, in 1911, entirely of Flemish brick, to replace an earlier structure built in 1132 and dismantled 400 years later on the orders of Henry 8th. Although very different from most monastic buildings it's still very impressive. I was told that the builders, Isle of Wight brickies, had never built anything bigger than a house before! Unfortunately only 9 monks remain in the order today!

We continued to the ferry and drove back to London in pouring rain! Home to Oban tomorrow. I'll be back-Blipping the last few days shortly.