Nourishment For The Soul At Michelham Priory...

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I arrived at Michelham Priory soon after noon, and made my way over the stone bridge crossing the moat, to the Gate House. I would imagine at some time, that there was a portcullis or a very strong, oak gate on either side of the tower. As I walked through, I noticed an open door, and a flight of spiralling stone steps, by which I would imagine, guards ascended to the top of the tower, probably to keep out the marauding Saxons. Once inside the gate, the Priory stood before me. Some of it was missing, owing to it becoming unsafe and being taken down. Nonetheless, it was quite impressive. As the weather was good when I arrived, I decided to make a tour of the grounds and gardens first. Unfortunately, the magnolia blossoms had died back, but there was a sea of blue, in the shape of forget-me-nots, complemented in places by yellow wallflowers and polyanthus, and also tulips. The tulips were red, white, yellow and a very deep purple colour, and trees were abundant. Just along the path, I found the kitchen garden, which had all manner of different vegetables growing in it. There was an arched walkway, with apple blossoms growing up it, with a statue in the middle. Next, I came upon a sundial, as I continued to walk along the moat's edge. Then, a throne, which had been set close to the water, and where the water lapped up close to the bridge, I spotted three black objects. On closer inspection, I noted three black sealions' heads above the water. They were sculpted from stone, I believe. I crossed the wooden bridge to the other side of the moat, where I could have either taken a left turn to walk along the outside of the moat, or a right turn to the iron age centre. I took the right; a long walk around approximately half the moat, revealed some thatched huts, but they were being worked on, so not much happening. I sat awhile, contemplating the beautifully kept grounds, the water, and the wildlife, before walking back and crossing the bridge back into the gardens. After taking in the statues and gardens, including the herb garden, I then made my way to the Forge. It was amazing... jam packed with all manner of metal work and tools, including anvils, and of course, the kiln. I then went to the Great Barn, where they hold events such as weddings, medieval days/nights and parties. The bakery was closed, so a little disgruntled, I went to the restaurant and had some home made soup, before going on into the Priory building. It was very interesting and well laid-out inside but unfortunately I was not permitted to take pics in there. There were two things I marvelled at more than anything. The engineering that went into turning one of the spits. It worked by winding up a stone, which was attached to a rope, and then a metal chain, which as the stone lowered again, turned a cog, and resulted in the turning of the spit... amazing! The stone was weighted to fall at a speed which ensured the meat was well and evenly cooked! The other main thing that took my appreciation was one with tapestries on the walls, a little arched cupboard containing, Mary and the baby Jesus, and a Monk figure, sitting at a desk, but he was surrounded by all manner of storage chests and artifacts. There was huge open fire on the far wall, and chant music playing in the background, quietly. I can't cover everything or I'll be here for hours. A look around the shop, completed my trip as it was raining quite steadily by now, so I decided it was time to call it a day. A day that I really enjoyed and felt the benefits of. It's strange how much peace of mind you draw from these historic places, and how you can actually sit and imagine what it was like all those hundreds of years ago. I was a bit disappointed that at least one of the ghosts didn't make himself known to me though! Have any of you visited priories, castles or any other historic sites? Do you have a story? What were your feelings... did you find the same peace of mind, and vivid imagination of days gone by?