Sunday 11th Sept 2022
What Did the Priory Do for Guisborough?
A Short Walk and Guided Tour starting at 2:00 pm at the hut in the Priory Grounds. There will be a poster and artefact display from 10:00 am to 4:00pm.
Focusing on the impact the establishment of the now ruined Gisborough Priory had on the development of Guisborough, visitors will be taken on a short guided walk of the town outside the Priory, followed by a brief tour of the Priory itself.
Little is known about the market town of Guisborough prior to the Norman invasion in 1066. The establishment of the Augustinian Gisborough Priory in 1119, by the Norman Robert de Brus, caused the town to grow and develop into a successful market town.
The site of the Priory’s Inner and Outer courts, the subsequent communication network and the Priory’s wealth all impact on the layout of the town centre today. Looking at clues to the town’s past over the 400 years that the Priory successfully functioned, this guided walk takes visitors on a short tour of part of the town near to the Priory, before a short tour of the Priory itself.
Starting at the hut in the grounds, the walk will proceed through the now vanished outer court to the market cross, and see the significant features of the town, related to the success of the Priory.
Returning to the Priory itself, the tour will view the possible position of the original gatehouse of the outer court and the post Dissolution development of this area, up to the present day, again influenced by its Priory origins.
The tour will end with a short tour of the highlights of the ruined Priory itself as well as a short video of how it might have looked in its heyday. There will be both a pictorial and artefact display of the Priory’s history for visitors to browse at their leisure.
Access: The walk and tour are outdoors. The town walk is along uneven pavement. Ramped access to the Priory. Entrance gate is 124cm (4ft) wide with gravel path onto the site. The site is grassed and the ground uneven. There is a wheelchair route avoiding steps. There are free car parks nearby with disabled parking, the nearest 10m from the site with a bus stop opposite the Priory. Wheelchair accessible toilet in the woodland.