Bredon Monastery

The Bredon Monastery according to historians, the records have disappeared. In the eyes of historian, the place where the Bredon St Giles Church was the Bredon Monastery. When the very first Bredon Monastery was built in 780 it was dedicated to St Peter and the king of Mercia would be responsible for the upkeep of the Monastery. Then in 1180 the Normans started the church sits today and the work was completed in the middle of the 13th century. There are plenty of things to see at the Bredon St Giles or Bredon Monastery. It is a great piece of history and there are hundreds of visitors that come every year to admire the beauty.

The structure is just amazing and it really is something to see. For example, the doorways and in the North Porch of the Monastery has some beautiful carved moldings that date the building back to the 13th century. Back in the day, this section of the Monastery was used for weddings and baptismal services as well as the local village school.

Just North of the Porch a Parvis (enclosed room) was added and today it is considered to be a very unusual feature. To get into the room an inside ladder from the main door had to be used. It has been said that the Monks used this room for their valuables or when a traveling priest needed a place to stay.

The Spire of the Monastery is an impressive 161 feet high. It is called the loveliest in the Midlands and it has been written in stone with the saying " all of the Land from Ludlow Town to the Bredon Church's spire. The Chancel is a very large for most churches and it is long for just a local village church, but it does contain some interesting features. The 14th century windows that are there today are priceless and they have ivy, oak leaves, acorns and maple in their designs,

Near the North wall of the sanctuary is called Easter Sepulcher, this dates back to when it originally was a tomb where the consecrated Host was placed Maundy Thursday which would symbolize the death of Jesus Christ and it was taken at Easter to signal the Resurrection.

There is also a beautiful mid 14th century tomb that has a carved roof and this room does symbolize the death of the child of William and Katherine Reed of Mitton back in 1357. The South Isle of the Church is called the Mitton Chapel and it is the symbol of what early English architecture and design were all about. The Tomb of Sir Giles Reed and his family is made of a beautiful alabaster and black marble monument made from the Jacobean period, it is just one of the finest examples of the work that was done in the country.

The Bredon Monastery may not exist in name but today it stands as the Bredon St Giles and it has a lot of hidden history, anyone who has an opportunity to view it will be glad they did, they do not make churches or buildings like this anymore. It really is a site to see.