In July 1266 Castle Hill saw Papal Legate Cardinal Ottobuono excommunicate the castle’s defenders. Safely out of arrow range, this was intended to force them to surrender. It did not have the intended effect as a defender dressed as the papal legate subsequently returned the favour to the King and his army! However, by December 1266 famine and disease had finally bought the siege to an end.
The thatched cottages of Little Virginia on your right date from the 17th century although there is evidence of earlier structures and stone working indicating housing for masons in Dudley’s time. Excavation in 1973 also discovered a sandstone wall which would have marked the boundary of Abbey lands.
Continue uphill, turn right into Abbey Fields. Follow the tarmac path downhill.
These trails follow the same route as the leaflets but provide more detailed and deeper information at each point of interest (and we will keep adding more as we go!).
Please note – these trails are developed and optimised for a mobile experience so may not work effectively on bigger screen sizes.
Important – Using these trails and clicking their links will require mobile data (no more than accessing web pages), please ensure you are aware of your data limits and costs before using them.
Each point contains everything you need to locate it, as well as links to mapping services for its location.
At each point you will find further information pages and links to help interpret where you are and what you are looking at.
If you spot a mistake or encounter a problem please let us know by providing your feedback on the dedicated form linked below.
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