News
Priory Attic Conversion Job Begins
We wanted to start the attic conversion in the Priory House before Christmas and - by a whisker - we've kept to the target!
With the new stairs from the landing below now in place, the major job of turning the two attic rooms into extra accommodation is at last underway. With space for up to four beds in each dormitory-style room, this will be particularly useful when we run training courses and ceremonies, but also increase our capacity to provide temporary accommodation in times of emergency or crisis.
We hope, of course, that this latter use will only be needed rarely, if ever, but being prepared for hard times is the best way to approach them. With faithful Christians facing increasing persecution for all sorts of reasons, being able to help if and when the need arises is an important part of our work.
So special thanks this week to the gentleman who wishes to remain anonymous but who sent in an especially generous donation this week to help keep the work moving ahead. We really are very grateful.
Royston Cave - Templar Heritage?
Royston Cave, in Essex, is one of the most mysterious ancient sites in England. It has long been said to have been used by the Kinghts Templar, but this remains speculation - hence our question mark!
Priory House Stairs - A Fine Job!
The new stairs to safely open up the attic rooms for their full upgrade are now in, with only work on the bannister rails to do before they are complete (and this is likely to be left for a few weeks to facilitate moving insulation, plasterboards and such-like up there).
Although we reported on the stairs going in last week, we feel that the quality of this made-to-measure, bespoke job is so high that donors especially would like to see them in a bit mroe detail. Above is the newly installed main newell post.
Here's a shot of the sutrcy and detailed underside. As you can see, nothing has been spared in the making of these top quality stairs.
Templars - the Warrior Monks
True History of the Knights Templar
Visit Temple Cressing Barns - Templar Heritage
One of the giveaways revealing a former Knights Templar site in the British Isles is the name 'Temple' in a placename. One of the very best examples is Cressing Temple, a village in the county of Essex, north east of London.
Pray for These Endangered Christians!
The Last Winter Crusade
Three Great Templar Sites in Southern England
If you live near, or visit, London, there are some great Templar sites within very easy reach.
The best known is the magnificent Templar Church in the very centre of the capital. Temple Church is a church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem.
During the reign of King John (1199–1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templar as proto-international bankers. It is now jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, the bases of the English legal profession. It is famous for being a round church, a common design feature for Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies. It was heavily damaged by German bombing during World War II and has since been greatly restored and rebuilt.
