Post by Dave on Oct 19, 2018 13:28:06 GMT
Paignton Monastery, Bishops Palace & Old Paignton Walk Around.
Friday 19th October 2018
I am beginning to wonder if it’s due to my age that I find myself doing more photo shoots at religious places, lately its been ruined and abandoned churches and today a former monastery and Bishops Palace. Mind you I was right inside Devils Pit in Bradley Woods Newton Abbot in the week, but I did so safe in the knowledge he had no reason to take me.
Researching the history of the monastery has not been easy and at times confusing, but I will do my best to give the facts as best I can. What I do know is the monastery was built in 1887, but by who?
I had read that in In 1880 the Marist Fathers were expelled from France and were invited to establish a community in the Plymouth Diocese by Bishop Vaughan. The mission in Paignton was established in 1882 when a former Baptist Chapel at Colley End was converted and became the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. After 1901, the work of the Marist Fathers was supported by a community of Marist Sisters, who took charge of the small primary school and established a secondary school.
Was this building the former Baptist Chapel ? I do not think so myself as the dates are all wrong, so did the Marist Fathers build this monastery, or move in there sometime later, or has some historian simply got the dates wrong?
UPDATE Please see second post on this thread that throws some new light and answers to my above questions
I do know at times it was full of religious students, other times if was really struggling with low numbers and had to find other ways to survive. In 1970 the Marist Fathers decided to close their monastery and moved all students to London. The monastery was sold to the Council.
The statue on the eastern end of the chapel was once a prominent feature which could be seen from most of the town of Paignton, but has become obscured by surrounding trees in recent years. When the monks left the Catholic Church in the town wanted the statue taken down and placed on its own church, but local opposition saw that it remained in place.
The council converted a large part of the building into flats, only the chapel itself was spared and it was in use as a community centre between 1978 and 2000. When it became empty again the council were talking about pulling it down and have houses built on the site, but those plans also came under fierce opposition and never happened.
It has been used since by some company or other, but today its looks like it once again empty and unused. I did find an avert at a estate agency for the chapel and it does seem like a great deal of work and money has been spent on the inside of it. When I was a young man I once had to deliver milk very early in the morning to the converted flats. I had heard so many scary stories about how haunted the place was, I do not think I have ever put milk down on doorsteps so quick in my life.
I left my car close to the monastery and walked down Monastery Road heading for the town as my next port of call was the remains of the Bishop Palace. The Palace originates from the 14th century and was the residence of the Bishops of Exeter until the 16th century. All that now remains is a rectangular walled enclosure with a two storey tower, which is known as the 'Bible Tower' or 'Coverdale Tower'.
The name 'Coverdale Tower' recalls an erroneous tradition that Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter 1551-3, translated the Bible in it, but his translation was published 16 years before he became Bishop.
In one corner of Paignton Parish Church are some old ruins that were once thought to be that of an old chapel But after some excavations were carried out a number of years ago, it is now thought they were the medieval Bishops Hall that was a part of Bishop's Palace.
The church is closed at the moment as a new heating system is being fitted, I talked with one of the workman who told me that in the week old bones had been dug up inside the church, but they have all now been reburied.
My walk took me into some older parts of Paignton, something’s made me happy, others rather sad, but no matter where you go these days, you will always find evidence of decline and neglect.
I walked further into town to find a WC and then after buying a pasty and cold drink, I headed back to my car. I really enjoyed today in the morning sunshine. One does not always have to leave the town in search of history, we have lots of it here.
