Current Situation
There are some remains of the early 12th century stone chapel of St John the Baptist, the site of Godric of Finchale's burial, built some time around the end of Godric's life. Some of the temporary buildings, erected for the first prior and his monks sent to establish the Priory some twenty years after Godric's death, still exist. The monastic complex was built in the latter half of the 13th century with alterations and additions continuing for the following three hundred years.
There are many excellent examples of heavily decorated capitals on the original arcade columns, tracery in the filled-in nave arches of the church, and on the south wall is a double piscina and two carved seats of the sedilia.
The buildings and immediate grounds are now managed by English Heritage, with the surrounds converted into Finchale Abbey Caravan Park - an award-winning eco village project set up to sustainably manage development in the area.
The site and immediate area is one of significant juxtaposition between traditional and modern. Entry to the site is through an automated barrier (closed at 5:30pm). The caravan site has many modern luxuries and the southern approaches are a working farm - facts much lamented by some. Yet, this is still an isolated site, with its dead-end road (the site is blocked to the north by steep hills on the far banks of the Wear) and distance from any current homebuilding projects.
Read more about this topic: Finchale Priory
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