Lancaster Priory Church of Saint Mary — Attraction in Lancaster

Wonderful visit. A step back into the history. Absolutely stunning building in wonderful setting. Worth visiting!

Lancaster Priory Church which has been closed for the longest period in its thousand-year history has emerged into the light after the lifting of lockdown restrictions (written on 1st Sept 2020).

The 15th Century Priory and Parish Church of Lancaster standing by the Castle on the hill above the River Lune, overlooking the city, is built on the site of a priory which was founded in 1094. The site has been used since at least Roman times, and traces of Roman fortifications can still be seen in the field north of the church. You can see the Roman remains by following the footpath which leads from the Priory down towards St. George's Quay.

The interior is mostly medieval but has 13 centuries of history, evident from traces of a Saxon church,, 14th Century choir stalls, superb tapestries, and King’s Own Memorial Chapel.

The present building holds Viking ornaments, crusaders’ coffins and part of Jacobean ‘three-decker’ pulpit. The Memorial Chapel holds arguably the most complete collection of Regimental Colours in...

I went with some friends on Sunday to see the moon installation inside the church. The historic church will host one of the world’s most awe-inspiring artworks – a massive moon – suspended from its ancient rafters from November 1-20. Measuring seven metres in diameter, The Moon features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface. The Moon is one of several currently touring the world, attracting more than three million visitors. The Priory will welcome the largest version by UK artist, Luke Jerram who has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks. Lancaster Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Mary, is the Church of England parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I...

The guided tour at the Lancaster Castle ends at the exit door which opens onto the priory Church. Beautiful stained glass windows, high arches, a war memorial, ornate Church organ & tapestry and embroidered stations of the cross best describe this priory. Our curious exploration or rather urge to cover most landmarks did give us a pleasant surprise.

We visited it on a Friday afternoon and revisited it the next day morning to experience the mesmerising performance of flute, obe & piano as part of the priory's coffee concert spring 2022. This is held every Saturday morning at 1030 hours. I believe one can get further details on future musical performances on their website.

There is not a lot to do in Lancaster, but if you are in this town on a Saturday morning, do not miss this. The priory's acoustics are worth experiencing and I am hoping each concert will be...