These monks weren’t just here to pray. They helped the poor, healed the sick, and probably heard more confessions than a modern-day taxi driver hears excuses for being late. They lived simply-no great towers or grand treasures-because the Franciscans believed in poverty and humility. Imagine the friary’s garden growing everything from cabbages to medicinal herbs, with the occasional mystery ingredient added by a novice monk who mixed up his onions and his leeks!
But then, in 1536, things got dramatic. During the reign of Henry VIII and the famous Dissolution of the Monasteries, the friary was shut down almost overnight. The peaceful life here vanished, leaving only whispers of prayers and ghostly memories. As you stand here now, you’re surrounded by centuries of secret stories, lost recipes, and maybe even a cranky monk or two still looking for his misplaced candlestick.
