The former nave of the Priory
is now the parish church, only the base of the cross remains and the former
gatehouse is now reduced to the east arch. Sheep still occupy the area
to the west of the Priory. Television history programs showing digital
reconstructions of sites and a recently published book on the Priory have
lead me to don my anorak and retreat to my den during the past three winters
to produce a 3D model. I hope my renders are of interest. My reconstuctions
can only be an impression and I regret any inaccuracies.
The priory receives many visitors annually as they tour the Roman Wall,
yet I see many who hesitate, look at the Priory and drive on, I hope my
efforts cause some to divert and take a longer look at Lanercost. Together
with my digital renders I have included several circa 1900 postcards and
links to local accommodation and sites of interest.
We are fortunate that the hard toil of our forebears has left us with
so many of these beautiful buildings all over Britain more than eight
hundred years after their passing. To quote from the penultimate paragraph
of "The Black Rood", Stephen Lawheads' recent book,".......I am confirmed
in the realization that not only are the past and present woven of the
same thread, the past is neither dead nor distant; it continues to exert
a genuine and potent force on both present and future, on all that is
and is to come."
Tour my site by all means but better still, come and visit this beautiful
place. |
