Now a ruin, the priory of St. Botolph and St. Julian was built in 1130. It was a Saxon location at the time, and these priests that founded it had been sent to study in France and then returned with Augustine beliefs, which is how the monastary here was made. Today, only the nave of the priory church survives, but the rest of the ruins have been outlined on the grass around it. Like all monastaries, it was dissolved in the 1500s due to Henry VIII. It was left to ruin from there and had been damaged in the Civil War.
The ruins of part of the church are all that remains of this monastary today. The monastary was built using some of the bricks from the old Roman walls, which is next to the priory building today. The wall can still be seen in places around the town, including at this location.
After the visit to the priory, I went to Sip & Tuck, a restaurant/cafe located near the castle. I had lunch and a cocktail. I opted for Teacher's Pet, a gin-based cocktail. I also had the ham, egg, and chips. It was very tasty.
Following lunch, I went to have a look around the castle. Be sure to come back to read about my visit to Colchester Castle.
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