CASTLE ACRE: A MEDIEVAL MASTERPIECE!
By Glynn Burrows
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Glynn Burrows, owner of Norfolk Tours, discusses the history and visitor experience at medieval Castle Acre in England. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
With the sheer volume of Medieval buildings, which are to be found all over the UK, it must have meant that the whole country was a hive of activity for hundreds of years. Knowing that many of these buildings were built over several generations, there must have been thousands of tradesmen who worked their entire lives on one building, passing their skills down to their sons and grandsons during that process.
Our Cathedrals were often under construction for over fifty years, with the building of Norwich Cathedral starting in 1096 and being completed in 1145, so very few of those who saw the foundations dug would have seen the completion of the building.
When the Cathedral was completed, the ancillary buildings of the monastery would still be under construction, so the whole site would have been a hive of activity for many years after 1145.
With the Priory at Castle Acre, it would have been a very similar story, even though the size of the Priory was not as impressive as the Cathedral in Norwich, it was still a massive undertaking, and the site was not well positioned to get stone transported, unlike Norwich, which was on a major navigable river.
The Priory was built in the C12th, and the West Front is one of the best Norman facades in England. It was run by monks from Cluny, the Cluniac Order and became a very important site, centrally situated and within the estate of the Castle.
The Priory complex contained many buildings, as these monastic houses were not simply large Churches, they were hospitals for the sick and needy, hotels for travellers and, as the Church administered most of the day-to-day life of Medieval England, the places where legal matters were often recorded. (Up to 1858, wills were still proved in ecclesiastical courts!
Today sadly, there are only amazing ruins, showing only a fraction of what used to be here. The disaster happened in the C16th when Henry VIII decided he wanted to become the head of The Church in England. He broke away from Rome and took all the assets of The Church.
Although this may appear to be a simple take-over of the power of Rome over The Church, what it actually meant was that Henry took over several millions of acres of land, an incalculable amount of ready money, (as well as gold and silver), administration previously carried out by the monks, millions of tons of building material and, perhaps the biggest earner, the Church Tithes. These Tithes were a sort of tax, paid to The Church by landowners, relative to their land holdings and earnings. Henry gave some of the land to wealthy landowners to keep them onside and a lot of the land to The Church, but, as he was the head of The Church, I leave you to decide how generous that was.
So, there is an amazing Norman Priory in Castle Acre, but, surprise surprise, there is also a massive Norman Castle in the village too.
When the Normans came over in 1066 and defeated King Harold, (yes, the one with an arrow in his eye!), the new King, William I, was extremely generous to the knights who came over with him and helped him conquer the English army. One of these Earls was William de Warenne and he was given land over many counties of England but decided to build his headquarters at Castle Acre, where he also built the Cluniac Priory.
The Castle itself has felt the ravages of time and much of the stone has been stolen and can be seen all over the village, in houses and walls, but the foundations and some of the walls, together with the earthworks remain, to give an idea of just how impressive it was. Imagining a smaller version of Norwich Castle on the top of the Motte gives an idea of just how imposing this structure was in the landscape.
The village itself has lots of other remains to show that it was a very important settlement in Medieval times, not least the Bailey Gate on the main street, which was once one of the entrances to the Outer Bailey of the Castle. Built of local flint, with some dressed stone, it is amazing to think that this gate has seen over 900 years of history pass through it.
Castle Acre is a true Medieval Masterpiece, with Priory, Castle, earthworks, Church and other buildings, it is a place to wonder at the skills of the workers and see how the Norman invasion of 1066 started a new way of life in England.
Glynn provides customized, private tours and also helps his clients trace their English family history. Past guests have visited and experienced stately houses and gardens, castles and churches, ruins and villages, birding and wildlife, World War II airfields, and general area taster tours too. Accommodations can be in all types of establishment, from character buildings such as windmills, thatched cottages and castles, self-catering or five star luxury – just say what you want and it can be arranged. Nothing is too much trouble for Glynn! Visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
