Ilchester Friary

Ilchester Friary stands on the edge of Ilchester in Somerset, a former Dominican monastery founded between 1221 and 1260. By the 15th century its grounds stretched beyond the town walls to cover 1.6 hectares. The site was enlarged and repaired in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is traditionally linked with Roger Bacon, the 13th-century scholar, who may have been born there around 1213 or 1214. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 it became a silk mill and later a relief prison, especially for Quakers.

The friary’s ruins lie close to the River Yeo, where visitors can trace the foundations of the old precinct. Remains of the refectory and dormitory still show the scale of the medieval buildings. A low bank marks the line of the town wall that once enclosed part of the site. The friary’s long history is visible in the masonry and earthworks that survive today.

The surroundings are quiet and open, with footpaths along the riverbank offering views of the old town. A small information board explains the site’s past. The remains are modest but give a sense of the friary’s former importance. It is a quiet place to walk and reflect on centuries of change.