In August, I visited Tynemouth Castle and Priory on a very windy day. This site has so much history as it was a settlement during the Iron Age, then it became the site of a Benedictine monastary. When the monastaries were dissolved, it became home to soldiers who stayed until the 1960s and played its own part during both World Wars. Although it is called a "castle" because of the gatehouse into the priory, the site was never really a castle. It had to be defended against the Scottish, so the gatehouse was required and built in the late 1300s after the Scottish invaded it. Due to coronavirus, the battery and some of the interiors are shut, so I have labelled this "lockdown edition" because I was unable to visit everything.
The gatehouse is the entrance to the site, and it is moated. It used to have a drawbridge that could be raised to prevent an invasion. As it is located on a hill with excellent views, it was discovered when demolishing the soldier's structures in the 1960s that an Iron Age settlement of round houses occupied the space. These pre-date the monastery.
The priory church was built by a landowner named Mowbray, and he gave the priory church to monks. The monastery was then founded, and up to 500 monks called it home in the 11th century.
There are excellent views from Tynemouth Castle and Priory. When I visited, it was very windy and big waves were created. The site is an excellent one for defences, so after its use as a monastery, the site was home to soldiers who defended the coast until the 1960s. The buildings that they lived in were demolished then. Several hundred soldiers called it home, but the site never had a direct attack and the guns were rarely used. There were air raids during World War II. The guns were removed in the 1950s.
The big gun on site is similar to what would have been there during the wars. It was placed as an example, and it was called the six-inch gun because the bullets were 6 inches long. The gun could fire seven miles out to sea. The other platforms exist but have no guns on them today.
Apparently, three kings are buried here, and this is how Tynemouth gets its symbol of three crowns. The kings date from 651, 792, and 1093. The first two were tribes of this area of England, and the third was Malcolm III who was a king of Scotland. However, in 1065, a priest found human bones under the church. The bones were though to be Saxon saint St Oswine. Because of this, Tynemouth became a popular pilgrimage site with people visiting it from all over. Donations left by the pilgrims were used to increase the size of the priory, and a chapel for the shrine was built.
The shape of the stones on the remains of the priory buildings have been weathered into strange formations and shapes by the wind and salty sea air. On the hill over the sea, the site is very exposed and can be very windy.
Some of the details of the monastary have been discovered, and this depicts the detail of carvings and decorations found.
Of course, there are views for miles from the castle and priory; there is a higher level at the gatehouse to look from. On the day I visited, the wind created sea mist and low fog meant that the visibility was not great.
The gatehouse is pictured below, and it was designed to be a residence with the topmost floor being fit for someone of status to live in.
The village of Tynemouth itself also looked attractive with small shops and attractive-looking pubs and restaurants. Because of the pandemic, I did not visit any of the shops or restaurants, but I would love to do so and to return, once it is safe to do so. There are a few items that were shut that I will have to come back and see at Tynemouth Castle and Priory.
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