Stanbrook Abbey

Joyce is one of our newer clients and is a very erudite lady. I have had a couple of very enlightening conversations with her regarding novels and poetry. She has a wealth of knowledge and has suggested a wonderful piece for our poem of the week. Joyce recently treated herself to a week of rest and contemplation at the wonderful Stanbrook Abbey. She took the time to tell Lisa and I about the Abbey and her week of peace in rural Worcestershire.

The abbey was originally built as a contemplative house for Benedictine nuns. The community was founded in 1625 in Cambrai, Flanders under the auspices of the English Benedictine Congregation. But after being deprived of their original abbey during the French Revolution the surviving nuns fled to England and in 1838 settled in Stanbrook Worcestershire where a new abbey was built on the site of a Georgian manor house.  The congregation remained at Stanbrook Abbey until 2009 when they relocated to North Yorkshire. Since 2009 the abbey has been a hotel and events centre.

The initial abbey buildings were designed by Charles Day, an architect from Worcester. But the abbey church and cloisters of 1869-71 were completed to the designs of Edward Welby Pugin who famously designed the Palace of Westminster. One very notable feature of the abbey is the Bell Tower which rises to 40 metres. Those who are feeling particularly adventurous can climb the 140 steps to the top for stunning views to the Malvern Hills and surrounding countryside. Joyce wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous!

A little piece of trivia, Iris Murdoch’s ‘The Bell’ is said to be partly inspired by Stanbrook Abbey.

Joyce thoroughly enjoyed her week at Stanbrook Abbey. She took particular pleasure in just wandering around the grounds and taking her time over a coffee on the beautiful terrace. She did a little reading, but not nearly as much as she expected as she was happy to just enjoy the views and the wonderful architecture. Joyce is looking forward to her next week of rest and contemplation. Although she thinks she may find somewhere a little closer to home.

Joyce was reluctant to have her photo taken. But one of the things you can’t help but notice about her lovely house is the number of books and bookcases. So we thought that we couldn’t leave without taking a representative photo.