place

Lechlade Priory

Lechlade-on-ThamesMonasteries in Gloucestershire

Lechlade Priory was a house of Augustinian Canons Regular in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. The priory, also called the Lechlade hospital (hospitalry), was founded in the 13th century by Isabella de Mortimer, initially as a nunnery; in 1252 Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall became its patron. The priory had seven priests, however on various occasions they were criticised for not carrying out their duties and diverting the charitable monies which were meant to be used for the poor and sick. The priory survived until its dissolution in 1472.The priory during its existence maintained St. John's bridge which was built (or more accurately commissioned) by those who founded Lechlade priory, on the line of an old ford of the River Thames. It is known the prior was bestowed grants of pontage in 1338, 1341, and 1388. The building which is now the Trout Inn acted as a hospital or almshouse, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and formed part of the priory. The hospital had the mandate of caring for workmen on the bridge.Apart from a section of the Trout Inn all other buildings which made up the priory have now collapsed or been demolished. Part of the site is now a mobile home and caravan park.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Lechlade Priory (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Lechlade Priory
A417, Cotswold District Lechlade

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Lechlade PrioryContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.690277777778 ° E -1.6783333333333 °
placeShow on map

Address

Trout Inn

A417
GL7 3EY Cotswold District, Lechlade
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Share experience

Nearby Places

Halfpenny Bridge
Halfpenny Bridge

Halfpenny Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames, at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. The bridge and its toll house are a Grade II listed building. It marks the start of the navigable Thames, although if the waters are high, the Thames can continue to be travelled by small and unpowered craft as far as Cricklade, over 10 miles (16 km) South-west. The bow-backed bridge was built to a design of James Hollingworth in 1792. It carries the A361 from the south into Lechlade. It was called the Halfpenny bridge because that was the toll charged for pedestrians to cross it, until the toll was done away with in 1839. The A361 is called Thames Street at this point, and the bridge was built when Thames Street was laid out. The structure is around 20 feet (6 m) wide and the single arch is nearly 26 feet (8 m) high to its apex. On the north bank of the river, a small square toll house is attached to the bridge on the downstream side. It consists of a basement and a room at road level, with a pyramidal asbestos slate roof. Both the bridge and the toll house are grade II listed. It is thought that a local firm of builders called Ralph and Crowdy were responsible for its construction. There is a separate arch in the south causeway, through which the towpath passes, and both parapets carry a central panel with a line on it, to mark the county boundary between Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. In June 2023, a driver crashed into the eastern parapet causing substantial damage to the structure. The bridge is expected to remain closed to traffic for some months.A local micro-brewery based in Lechlade, The Halfpenny Brewery, is named after the bridge.