We are on holiday in Hunstanton, Norfolk and as we are members of English Heritage we looked at what is close by and decided on these to Baconsthorpe Castle & Creake Abbey as well as visiting the costal town of Cromer as these are in the open as the week that we are away the government announced on the Monday the recommendation because of coronavirus to not to go to crowed places.
Creake Abbey
As you drive down to Creake Abbey you have a large car park, as there isn’t just the Abbey ruins there is a large café and food hall and also a court yard with several specialty shops. To get to the abbey just walk past the small lake.
The front part of the abbey there is only the outer wall, though the rear section is mainly there, again like most English heritage sites there are a few information boards telling you about the history of the Abby.
The abbey grounds are small and you can only go around the one side of the abbey. There are a few benches to sit and relax and it is a very nice place just to sit and relax. I like ruins like this as you could imagine what it would have been like when it was an active abbey.
Here are some of the photos I had taken on our short but interesting visit to Creake abbey.
Brief History – Unfortunately the history of the abbey had devastating problems. In 1206 the abbey started of as a small chapel of St Mary. Then in 1217 the chapel became a priory. In 1225 was elevated to abbey status. A fire in 1484 meant that part of the abbey had to be demolished. Unfortunately then in the 16th century the abbey was devastated by the plague. In 1506 the abbey closed and was revert to the crown. See the full history of the abbey HERE
Baconsthorpe Castle
Firstly to get to Baconsthorpe Castle the road is signed though only small signs on a bend and is a small single track road that looks like leads to a working farm, so can easily miss the turning, if using satnav the postcode brings you to the entrance. of that road Be aware the road is very bumpy.
There is a small car park with a information board that tells you about the castle. Straight in front is the remains of the outer gatehouse this was still occupied until 1920 when one of the turrets collapsed, you can still see the other one. You couldn’t look inside as was metal fencing around.
You then walk over the moat towards the inner gatehouse you can look in parts of this, then it opens up into the court yard. you can still see the remains of the other buildings that would have been inside. You can then walk round parts of the inner moat which opens up into a small lake.
Baconsthorpe is not a big place but worth a visit and as there are information boards around, it is interesting learning about the buildings and the family that owned it also about the local wool trade.
Here are some of the photos I had taken on our short but interesting visit to Baconsthorpe Castle.
History – The castle was built for the Heydon family about 1450 and was made larger as the wealth of the family grew. The family was in the law profession though they moved into the wool trade and parts of the castle was turned into a wool processing Factory. Unfortunately the family ended up in lots of debt which meant in 1650 the family had to demolish the castle to sell off the building materials. For more information on the history see the English Heritage page HERE
Final Thoughts
As we went on holiday in late March the weather wasn’t the best and was a bit on the chilly side, so we didn’t spend that much time at each one about an hour each. If the weather is good these would be a nice place just to come and relax with a picnic, as both would probably be quiet as they are out of the way and unless you are a English heritage member or local you may not even know they are there.