A Medieval gatehouse forming part of a thriving Abbey community. Porter's Lodge is a holiday let for two.
Property
Facilities
History
Local Attractions
Polesworth Abbey gatehouse has been sympathetically restored to provide two guest apartments; the Porter's Lodge and the Gatehouse Croft.
The Porter's Lodge occupies the upper levels of one side of the gatehouse and extends across the arched entrance way. From the ground floor doorway a wooden staircase leads to a spacious open plan sitting room and kitchen/dining room on the first floor. The high ceiling with its exposed beams and fireplace with wood burning stove create a welcoming ambience. Accessed from the first floor landing is the luxuriously appointed bathroom with a freestanding roll top bath as its centrepiece and separate shower. There is also a utility area and wardrobe space on the first floor. A further wooden stair leads to the second floor double sleeping gallery with its sloping roof and exposed beams.
On the ground floor the Porter's "office" and his family's meagre living quarters can still be found, providing a fascinating insight into what life would have been like at the Abbey.
The Medieval gatehouse forms the entrance to the Polesworth Abbey site, which is open to the public. Visitors may explore the Abbey church, refectory, sensory garden and 12th century ruins.
NB: A 15% discount applies when both apartments are booked together.
Accessibility A wooden staircase leads to the first floor entrance to the apartment and a further stair provides access to the sleeping gallery.
Dog Allowed - Yes
Heating Gas central heating plus a wood-burning stove
Facilities All Vivat Trust properties have a TV, DVD player and CD player plus fully equipped kitchens with oven & hob, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave and washing machine. In addition Porter's Lodge provides the following facilities.
Tumble dryer Roll-top bath with separate shower unit Wifi access Off road parking
Polesworth Abbey was founded in 827 when Polesworth (or "Polleswyrth") was just one of many tiny hamlets in the Kingdom of Mercia. In the Battle of Ellendun in 825 Mercia was conquered by King Egbert of Wessex, who in a gesture of thanksgiving promised to found a monastery at Polesworth. Over the following 200 years the Abbey prospered before being restored and greatly expanded between 1090 and 1139.
Polesworth Abbey has always welcomed guests. Indeed the Gatehouse provided the best accommodation of the day, deliberately designed to attract wealthy visitors. Guests would stay in the splendid gatehouse, be waited on by the Porter and his family and seek spiritual advice from the nuns; hopefully leaving a generous donation in return. The nuns' venture in creating the Gatehouse accommodation was clearly successful and the Abbey grew in influence throughout the Medieval period.
During the early years of the Reformation, the Abbey continued to function as normal. A royal commission of the time, after a visit to the village, stated that "the Nunnery at Polesworth should stand and remayne unsuppressed... [for, if it were to close] the towne will shortly after fall into ruyne and dekaye..." In light of these findings, the Abbey was granted an exemption from dissolution in January, 1537, in return for a fee of £50. Nevertheless, the Abbess, Alice Fitz-Herbert, voluntarily surrendered the Abbey just two years later.
In 1544, five years after the nuns had given up the Abbey at Polesworth, Henry VIII sold the village to Francis Goodere, of Hertfordshire. With the Abbey sliding into decay Goodere had much of it demolished, using the stone to build Polesworth Hall on the site of the former Abbess' dwelling. The Abbey Church remained and continued to be used by the villagers, whilst the Nun's former priest became the Goodere's chaplain. The Gatehouse, no longer needed by guests, was turned into the English School, run by the priest and supported by the Goodere family.
By the early 17th century Polesworth was home to Sir Henry Goodere. A close friend of the poet John Donne, Sir Henry was actively involved in the artistic life of England, gathering about him the foremost poets, writers and playwrights of the day. This group became known as the Polesworth Circle. Among its beneficiaries were the local poet, Michael Drayton and according to some sources, even the young William Shakespeare was educated at the school.
Substantial restoration work has been carried out by the Polesworth Abbey and Nunnery Gateway Trust and in 2010 the project was completed. Today, the gatehouse provides two carefully converted apartments - the Porter's Lodge (sleeps 2) and Gatehouse Croft (sleeps 4).
Click hereto find out more about the Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse Project.
Location: Polesworth, near Tamworth, West Midlands. 20 miles from Birmingham and 3 miles from Junction 10, M42
Activities: Golf, shopping at Birmingham's Bull Ring, indoor skiing at Snowdome, family parks such as Drayton Manor Theme Park, West Midland Safari Park, Pooley Country Park and Kingsbury Water Park.
Local Events: June Godiva Festival and Carnival Nov/Dec Frankfurt Christmas Market, Birmingham, All Year events at NEC, NIA and LG Arena Birmingham
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