  Mount Grace Priory
Just a few hundred yards from the busy A19 lie the tranquil ruins of this
late 14th century Carthusian monastery. With the magnificent
Cleveland Hills providing the perfect backdrop to this sheltered and secluded
charterhouse, it is almost impossible to imagine that heavy, 21st century
traffic trundles along relentlessly, just the other side of the site boundary.
There were only ten Carthusian charterhouses founded in England, and Mount Grace Priory (founded in 1398) is now the only accessible, and best preserved, of those
monasteries. Life for the Carthusian monks was very different to that of the other orders. Whereas
the Cistercians, Augustinians, Premonstratensian, Benedictine and Cluniac
monks lived and prayed as a community, the Carthusian monks at Mount Grace Priory lived virtually as hermits. Each occupied a 'two-up, two-down'
cell. complete with small garden, where they lived, worked and prayed. Although
not much remains above foundation level, the 23 cells are clearly defined,
with 15 of them located around the edge of the great cloister.
During the early 20th century one of the cells was reconstructed, and
has since been furnished to replicate how it would have looked during
monastic occupation.
The remaining walls of the small church stand to a good height, and the perpendicular crossing
tower survives almost in tact. As far as other monastic buildings
go, very little exists, apart from a much altered guest house which
was converted to a grand manor house in the mid 17th century.
An unusual and interesting feature of Mount Grace Priory is the complex water system used by the
Carthusian monks. The base of the water tower is just visible
in the centre of the cloister, but there is much evidence of the latrine
channels and drainage around the site. Fresh water was obtained
from a spring in the hillside, and despite the original spring houses
being demolished, they were restored and reconstructed in the early 1960s.
Apart from its obvious historical
interest, Mount Grace Priory for me represents an indulgent haven of peace and
beauty, a real feeling of being 'at one' with nature. In spring,
the priory grounds are alive with their dense clumps of sunny daffodils,
the trees displaying their fresh, delicate tree blossoms, and the well
tended flower beds are filled with a vivid assortment of plants.
Sharing this idyllic location with the medieval ruins are many species
of bird life - including a family of geese and ducks. A most pleasant
and unforgettable way of spending a couple of hours in a totally stress-free environment. |
