Paused Shielding - Day 43

A lovely day of 18 degrees sunshine. On the way home from a very quick visit to the supermarket, walked past all that remains of the once important Keynsham Abbey; a brief history below for anyone interested.

“William, the 2nd Earl of Gloucester, founded Keynsham Abbey at the dying request of his only son, Robert (died 1166)...

Robert, lst Earl of Gloucester, father of the Founder of Keynsham Abbey, was an illegitimate son of Henry lst. He was exceedinly rich and no expense was spared in the construction of the Abbey. It is thought that a French Master Mason and the finest craftsment were employed....

The Abbey occupied an extensive site on the hillside overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Chew and Avon. It was large and important... built of local limestone and Bath stone with some Purbeck marble. The interior was graced with beautifully sculpted vaulting, tracery, statues, capitals and corbels and floored with decorated paving tiles.

Famous Patrons of the Abbey were among the richest people in England... In 1276, Edward 1 stayed several days in the Abbey on his way from Bath to Bristol...

Many important people were buried in the Abbey, but perhaps the most elaborate funeral was that of Sir Jasper Tudor (uncle of King Henry VII of England) in 1495. Keynsham Abbey was classed as one of the greater Abbeys and its Dissolution took place on January 23rd 1539...

Although quite lot of record material survives about the Abbey, it is fragmentary with gaps of hundreds of years. No ground plan survived and much of the Chancel and North-East of the Church were destroyed when houses were built on the site between 1865-1885. Unfortunately, insufficient records of the exact location of walls and features were then made. Consequently, when plans were implemented to construct a by-pass through the Abbey Precinct in 1961, no one had any idea of the extent, layout or position of any part of the whole complex. In spite of pressure from local residents, no-one in authority thought it worthwhile to carry out any excavation on the planned route of the by-pass before letting the bulldozers loose. Had not members of the Bristol Folk House Archaeological Society volunteered to sink trial trenches and literally follow the bulldozers, surveying walls and rescuing masonry and aretefacts, none of the Abbey's most beautiful sculptured bosses, capitals and vaulting would have survived and no plan of the abbey would exist.”

You can see one of the artefacts from the abbey here: https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2537036374855386481

Take care, stay safe and well...