| Product: |
Tintern Abbey (Tintern Village, Wales) |
| Date: |
15.05.06 (213 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: a wonderful day out.
Disadvantages: none
Admiring stranger, that with lingering feet,
Enchained by wonder, pauses on this green;
Where thy enraptured sight the dark woods meet,
Ah! rest awhile and contemplate the scene.
These hoary pillars clasped by ivy round,
This hallowed floor by holy footsteps trod,
The mouldering choir by spreading moss embrowned
Where fasting saints devoutly hymned their God.
So wrote Edmund Gardner towards the end of the eighteenth century and this passionate flow of words sits as a wonderful introduction to the beauty of Tintern Abbey and the landscape around. Britain seems to be a land of churches and monastic buildings and due to the politics of the Reformation, many of these have been left in ruins. But if you think that such sites are drab piles of masonry then Tintern Abbey will make you think again.
Cistercian monks originally founded Tintern Abbey in 1131 AD, during the reign of Henry I. Between 1270 and 1301 the Abbey was expanded and by the end of the rebuilding, around four hundred monks lived in the complex. The Black Death arrived in 1349 and affected Abbey life badly but it continued to operate until 1536. In that year the Abbey was part of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. And within a few years the lead was stripped from the roof and the building began to decay. The Abbey then became a source of building stone and only in the eighteenth century was any interest shown in the ruin. Around 1760 the site was cleaned up and visitors to the Wye Valley began to be entranced with the beauty of the site and surroundings. So today we find a site that is a combination of ruin and restoration that combines to make the picturesque views that caused Gardner and his more famous colleague, William Wordsworth, to write such emotive descriptions about it.
The Abbey and the village of Tintern that it stands in, are easily arrived at by car. Being situated just off of the A466 about four miles north of the town of Chepstow, Monmouthshire means that it is not far from the M4 making an easy connection with Britain's motorway system and thus making the journey easily undertaken from almost anywhere in the country. Even the approach to the location is wonderful, a taste of the delights to come. The road winds down the wooded hillside as it drops away to the flood plain of the River Wye and suddenly in front of you is a lovely village that would look at home on the lid of a chocolate box and nestled on the edge are the statuesque remains of the Abbey.
If you are not in the habit of visiting ruins, for that is essentially what we have here, then it might seem that there is little to do here, but between the Abbey itself and the village there is certainly half a days worth of things to see and if you stop for food or a quiet drink somewhere then it easily becomes a full day out. Parking is easy as it's not the busiest of places and even if you can't get into the car park opposite then there are enough side roads around the village that will accommodate.
A small gift shop is negotiated and a after a very reasonable payment (Adults £3.50, Family £10.00) you are in. What you have at Tintern is a set of, in many cases, quite substantial walls that map the growth of a medieval Abbey. Monastic buildings such as this evolve through time, as would a castle or house and a number of plans can be identified from a number of different phases.
The abbey and grounds are surrounded by a 4ft stone wall. At the front of the grounds next to the road, grazing cattle seem oblivious to the imposing structure dominating their pasture. Although smaller than similar ruins such as Fountains Abbey, the wide-open interior spaces of the chapel and nave at Tintern are more captivating. The great lancet windows at each end of the chapel serve as breathtaking picture frames for the green hills beyond. The floor of the chapel is covered in a carpet of clipped green grass, broken by tall, decorated columns reaching toward the sky. The floor is also dotted with giant corbels, stones that once adorned the tops of Tintern's massive pillars. The corbels and surviving columns set against the wide-open spaces of the chapel floor, are a marvel to behold. While walking the floor of the chapel the symmetry and spacing of these huge pillars create vast sectioned views of the interior, making this part of the abbey the most memorable.
But an Abbey was more than just the church, it was a whole community of monks and as such here we find evidence for all the associated activities of the people that dwelt here. There are libraries and store rooms, kitchens and gardens, dormitories and latrines, even the plumbing system and water courses are there to be admired, in fact there is as much to see here as there is in a small castle, and much of it better preserved.
Enjoying such a place requires a certain attitude. At the end of the day it is basically a set of crumbling walls if you chose to see it as only that. With a bit of imagination though you can imagine the past coming to life in these hallowed rooms, the ghosts of a thriving community can be found all around you. There is plenty of information to be had to help with this either in the form of placards and notices, guide books or even an audio tour via a hand held tape recorder.
And once you have exhausted the Abbey itself there is still a lot else to do. The Abbey stands literally on the banks of the River Wye as does the village itself and the shops and cafes, the pub and the railway bridge (no longer in use) all give you a number of things to look at. With Chepstow and its castle just down the road there is a full day out in the area by combining the turbulent military of that with the soft tones and gentle ambience of the Abbey. I thoroughly recommend a day out here for families, history buffs and lovers of the outdoors in general, it's a wonderful part of the world just see it before it becomes too popular.
Summary: cheap, interesting and educational but mostly a beautiful place to spend the day.
|
|
