Time travelling nuns. That’s what the Ruins of Barking Abbey whisper. Imagine the lives lived within these stones. This wasn’t just any abbey. The Ruins of Barking Abbey were one of the most important nunneries in England. Founded around 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald for his sister Saint Ethelburga it was a place of power and influence.
For nearly nine hundred years these walls echoed with the prayers of Benedictine nuns. The abbey held immense wealth. It even suffered terribly after a 1377 Thames flood. This destroyed 720 acres of its land. Despite this setback it remained one of England’s three wealthiest nunneries at the time of its dissolution.
Think of the abbesses who walked these halls. Saints former queens daughters of kings. The Abbess of Barking held precedence over all others in the land. The power of the abbey extended far beyond its walls. It played an important role in local governance. The abbess was a lord responsible for maintaining bridges and roads.
High-ranking figures stayed within these walls. King William the Conqueror stayed here while building the Tower of London. He even received the submission of defeated earls here. Later the young Edmund and Jasper Tudor were raised in the abbey. These boys were the half-brothers of King Henry VI. Edmund Tudor later became the father of King Henry VII.
The abbey’s story ends tragically. King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 brought its long history to a close. The abbey was demolished its wealth sold off. Only the Curfew Tower remains a testament to its glory.
Today we stand before the Ruins of Barking Abbey. This is a place where history whispers. Imagine the lives lived within these ancient stones. A place where piety power and tragedy intertwined for centuries.