Swavesey Priory

Swavesey Priory stands in the village of Swavesey in Cambridgeshire. It was a small Benedictine house founded by the Abbey of St Sergius and St Bacchus in Angers, France. The priory began by 1086 after Alan, Count of Richmond, gave the local church to the French abbey. The site once included a church that dated from before the Norman Conquest. The priory lasted until 1539 when Henry VIII’s officials closed it during the dissolution of the monasteries. Today only earthworks and buried remains mark the spot. The priory is worth the journey for anyone interested in medieval monastic life. It shows how French monks ran an English cell in the 11th century. The priory’s short life reflects the wider upheaval of the Dissolution. Its scheduled-monument status recognises the importance of what once stood there. Visitors can see how the site fits into the landscape of medieval Cambridgeshire. A visitor finds a quiet field beside the village church. Low earthworks outline where the priory buildings once stood. The ground still holds fragments of the medieval church. Swavesey’s main street runs close by, linking the priory to everyday life. The scheduled area is fenced off to protect what remains. From the field there are wide views over the flat Cambridgeshire countryside.