Woodspring Priory

Woodspring Priory stands on a limestone promontory near Sand Point and Middle Hope in Somerset, beside the Severn Estuary about three miles north-east of Weston-super-Mare. Founded in the early 13th century by William de Courtney and dedicated to Thomas Becket, it was home to Victorine Canons who worked the land and served local churches. The priory grew slowly, gaining wealth only in the 15th century when a new church, infirmary and barn were built. It was dissolved in 1536 and later became a farmhouse owned by noble families including the Pigotts and Smyth-Pigotts. In 1968 the National Trust bought the site and the Landmark Trust restored it over two decades. The priory’s surviving buildings include a 15th-century church, an infirmary, a great barn and a 16th-century prior’s lodging now used as holiday accommodation. The original layout centred on a cloister, though only parts of its east and west walls remain today. Excavations revealed 14th-century floor tiles, a pavement and coffins beneath, suggesting earlier burials. A resistivity survey hinted at a Tudor garden and possible fish ponds nearby. Some priory treasures were moved to local churches after the Dissolution, including a reliquary said to hold Thomas Becket’s blood. Visitors walk among Grade I listed ruins and restored farm buildings arranged around the remains of the cloister. The church now serves as a small museum with photographs and displays about the priory’s history and restoration. The attached lodging house is let as holiday accommodation, offering views across the estuary. The site sits within a landscape of limestone ridges and coastal paths, owned by the National Trust and managed for both heritage and nature. The quiet setting contrasts with the priory’s long history of farming, worship and change.