Thetford Priory

Thetford Priory stands in Thetford, Norfolk, beside the River Little Ouse. Founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, it was once one of East Anglia’s leading Cluniac monasteries. The monks first settled on the Suffolk bank of the river but soon moved to a more spacious site in Norfolk. A Lady Chapel was added in the 13th century after a vision of the Virgin Mary. By 1390 the priory housed twenty-two monks and observed strict Cluny rules. Henry VIII closed the priory in 1540 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The priory once held the tombs of the Howard dynasty and Henry FitzRoy. These were later removed to St Michael the Archangel in Framlingham. The Prior’s Lodging survived until the early 18th century as a private house. Today the ruins include the lower walls of the church and cloister, the shell of the prior’s lodging, and a 14th-century gatehouse reached by a path. The site is Grade I listed and reputedly haunted, featuring in a Ghosthunters episode. Visitors walk among the remains of the church and cloister. The priory’s gatehouse still stands almost complete, connected by a pathway from the main ruins. Nearby, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre lies 300 metres south across the river. The ruins form part of an English Heritage site open to the public. The landscape around the priory reflects its medieval setting beside the waterway.