Can you sense the echoes of ancient chants? We are standing near the site of Bermondsey Abbey infirmary buildings. This was once a place of healing. Bermondsey Abbey was a significant Benedictine monastery. Its story stretches back over a millennium.
The earliest hint of Bermondsey Abbey dates back to 715 AD. A monastery existed here. It was then a Surrey colony. This colony belonged to the Mercian monastery of Medeshamstede. Medeshamstede was later known as Peterborough. Pope Constantine granted privileges to this early monastery at Vermundesei.
Let’s fast forward to 1082. Alwinus Child founded a new monastery dedicated to St Saviour. The Domesday Book calls it a new and handsome church in 1086. King William the Conqueror held the estate of Bermondsey. He supported this new foundation.
In 1089, the monastery became a Cluniac priory. Four monks arrived from St Mary’s of La Charité-sur-Loire. They were invited by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Peter became the first prior. The monks began cultivating the marshes around Bermondsey Abbey. They embanked the riverside. They dug dykes. The monks transformed the area. They turned the tidal inlet of the River Neckinger into St Saviour’s Dock. This provided a safe landing for dignitaries. It also provided one for goods arriving below London Bridge.
Bermondsey Abbey became independent in 1390. It was no longer tied to La Charité and Cluny. At Christmas 1154, King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine held court here. Prince Henry was born here a few weeks later. Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV, lived at the abbey. She registered as a boarder in 1487. She received free hospitality. She died here in 1492.
The abbey had a valuable estate. It included properties in Surrey and Kent. It also had properties in Leicestershire and Somerset. In 1268, Bermondsey was granted a Monday market at Charlton. It was also granted an annual fair. By 1535, the abbey’s annual income was over £474.
King Henry VIII dissolved Bermondsey Abbey in 1537. Sir Thomas Pope acquired the estate. He broke up the abbey buildings. He built a mansion for himself. Today, parts of Bermondsey Abbey remain visible. You can see remains of the south-western tower in Bermondsey Square. It is below the glass floor of the Lokma Turkish Grill & Bar. Houses on Grange Walk also incorporate abbey remains. Houses numbered 5, 6 and 7 have parts of the medieval stone gatehouse.
In 2010, a blue plaque for Bermondsey Abbey was unveiled in Bermondsey Square. Bermondsey Abbey’s story is a reminder of London’s long and complex past. It thrived as a spiritual center. It dissolved into private hands. Now it lives on in fragments. These fragments are both visible and imagined. The stones whisper. The earth remembers.