Bridlington Priory Church

Bridlington Priory, founded in 1113, became a significant and wealthy Augustinian monastery. The Priory owned land for many miles around and used its own fleet of ships to carry produce, notably wool, to distant ports or markets from the local harbour. The Prior was authorised by the Pope to wear a ring, mitre and other pontifical insignia as a symbol of his authority and the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage, even attracting royalty on occasion. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, Bridlington Priory was plundered of its wealth and largely demolished. All that was allowed to remain was the western end of the old Priory in its role as the parish church of the local population. Nonetheless it remains a fine building and, preserved and beautified by careful restoration, continues to inspire those who visit or worship within its walls.