Friday My Town Shoot-out - A photo study of a building

This week’s subject for the My Town Shoot-out is ”A photo study of a building” and was chosen by The Town blogger team. a great choice. I have chosen to show you Valle Crucis Abbey in North Wales.


















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I don't normally add much text to my My Town Shoot-outs but for those who are interested the following is a very brief history of Valle Crucis Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Glyn y Groes or Abaty Glyn Egwestl). It is in the Dee (Dyfrdwy) valley about 1½ miles upstream and north of Llangollen, Denbighshire, in north-east Wales.

The crucis ("of the cross") in its name refers to the Pillar of Eliseg which stands nearby, which would already have stood for nearly four centuries when the abbey was established in 1201. The new foundation was a Cistercian house. The abbey suffered a serious fire soon after its founder's death in 1236; traces of burning are visible on the lower stonework of the church and the south range. Substantial rebuilding (distinguished by putlog holes for the ends of the wooden scaffolding) had already taken place when the abbey found itself on the losing side during Edward I's Welsh campaigns in 1276–1277 and 1282–1283, although subsequent compensation enabled it to flourish for much of the following century. Valle Crucis was dissolved in 1537 by Henry VIII as one of the lesser houses. After the Dissolution the buildings rapidly fell into disrepair; in the late 16th century the eastern range was converted into a house with a new roof-line, although this roof had gone by the early 18th century. Many of the ruins were roofed again later in the century and used as a farm. Excavations and clearance of the ruins were carried out in the mid to late 19th century.