During the
Easter holidays we visited a lovely
English countryside in the
Forest of Dean at Herefordshire. The place we stayed was called the
Flanesford Priory. This was a historic building and it was a quiet place to relax with full of nature and with birds singing all the time.
We visited only a few places as we stayed at the
Priory with more relaxation and little filming as it was such a picturesque place to relax. There are a few captures that I intend sharing as we go on
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Flanesford Priory
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Sir
Richard Talbot, then owner of nearby
Goodrich Castle, founded the priory in 1346 as a house of the
Canons Regular of
St Augustine.
Situated next to the
River Wye and Goodrich Castle, Flanesford Priory has been converted from a
14th Century Monastery into fully equipped luxury self-catering apartments, some on two floors and some three.
The surrounding countryside, including the Forest of Dean,
Symonds Yat and
Monmouth provide picturesque areas for exploration. The attractive town of Ross-on-Wye is ten minutes drive away.
The village shop and pub at Goodrich are within easy walking distance.
Flanesford Priory now has a variety of different and alluring apartments, all with oak beamed ceilings and original stone walls, combined with modern conveniences.
Goodrich Castle
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Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds Yat.
The castle was begun in the late
11th century, by the English thegn Godric who gave it his name.
A generation later the splendidly preserved square keep which still forms its core was added, probably in the time of
Richard 'Strongbow' de Clare,
Earl of Pembroke and
Lord of Goodrich 1148-76.
Under
King Richard the Lionheart, Goodrich was granted along with the earldom of
Pembroke to the famous William Marshal, a great castle builder who may have initiated work on the inner ward. Each of the
Marshal's four sons inherited the fortress in turn, the last dying childless at Goodrich in 1245.
Thereafter the fortress and earldom passed to
Henry VIII's half-brother,
William de Valance, who rebuilt its defences and living quarters in the most up-to-date style.
Goodrich still boasts one of the most complete sets of medieval domestic buildings surviving in any English castle. William's widow
Countess Joan frequently stayed here with an entourage of up to
200, entertaining her relations and friends in the most lavish style.
During the
Civil War, Goodrich was held successively by both sides, Sir
Henry Lingen's Royalists eventually surrendered in 1646 under threats of undermining and a deadly Parliamentarian mortar. The famous '
Roaring Meg', the only surviving Civil War mortar, has returned to the castle after 350 years. The visitor centre features an exhibition exploring life at the castle from its late 11th century origins until its dramatic fall in 1646, including Civil War artefacts.
- published: 27 Apr 2011
- views: 1967