Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2014 | Page 53

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Unearthing relics at Quarr
A

s part of the ‘Two Abbeys project’
a team from Southampton City
Council’s Archaeology unit spent
three weeks at Quarr Abbey making a
recording of deposits which have survived
beneath the surface of the medieval ruins
of the old Cistercian Abbey.
Archaeologist and Site Director, Matt
Garner said: “We are treating this like an
evaluation, having had permission from
English Heritage to dig. We set up trial
trenches to see exactly what was here,
how deep things are and what condition
they are in. This means we can come up
with a scheme of what we are going to do
over the next couple of years
“We have already found a lot of German
pottery – parts of beer mugs, oyster shells,
animal bones, clay tobacco pipes and floor
tiles. In medieval times, pottery would
break easily so plenty of broken items were
thrown out – nobody came and collected
the rubbish once a week! The pottery we
have found so far comes from the time
the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII. We
will take these items to Southampton for
analysis and a report will be published
within the next six months.”
Visitors to Quarr Abbey have seen
first-hand how £2million worth of
National Lottery funding is transforming
the Benedictine Monastery. The Bishop of
Portsmouth, Phillip Egan formally opened
the new Visitor Centre. Special guests

included Isle of Wight Lord Lieutenant
Maj. Gen. Martin White, the Island’s High
Sheriff, Claire Locke and Vice-chairman of
Isle of Wight Council, Charles Chapman.
A hugely successful Open Day saw
hundreds of people make their way
through the new car park and orchard
to see the improvements. A tour,
falconry display, woodland walk and
an art exhibition were among the many
highlights.
It’s been an exciting time for Historian
Diana Wood and Bio-Chemist and
Medical writer Ros Everest, who work

voluntary in the archives office. They
have recently come across a number of
technical drawings by French Monk and
Quarr Abbey Architect, Dom Bellot.
Prior Dom Xavier Perrin said ,”It is
amazing to see how many people have
been involved in supporting the recent
developments at the Abbey. The monastic
community hope that, with the help of
all, Quarr will remain a place where God
is worshipped; men, women and children
find peace and inspiration, and that
natural beauty and cultural heritage are
preserved and opened to many.”
www.visitilife.com

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