My dissertation on the lavabo at Wenlock Priory and twelfth-century monastic water systems was only possible thanks to the funding from the BAA. The grant allowed me to experience Wenlock Priory, Rievaulx Abbey, and Fountains Abbey as spaces deeply entwined with their local topography. I could examine evidence of drains, cisterns, and lavatoria remaining on the site, and understand how these spaces were each connected in a network linking wells, springs, and rivers with monastic architecture.
In my first trip to Much Wenlock, I was able to visit the Much Wenlock Museum and see the magnificent carved lavabo panels in person. I spent hours in Wenlock Priory taking photographs, measurements, and understanding the lavabo’s placement in relation to the surrounding architecture. Through the visit, I was able to discover several wells in the town which were ultimately key pieces in the development of my dissertation, and explore the local topography to understand the movement of waterways through the rolling green hills.
My second trip to visit Rievaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey provided me with essential points of comparison to Wenlock. Both contain unique remnants of their monastic water systems, such as an intricate network of drains at Rievaulx. Fountains models the deep relationship between monasteries and their local rivers, while the site also contains one of the best-documented monastic wells in the UK. Both Rievaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey retain their lavers–with the Fountains example particularly well preserved–which were essential for developing my thinking on the shifting of forms between lavabo and laver.
Alongside getting to explore, photograph, and understand the sites in-person, visiting these monasteries gave me the opportunity to meet with people working there. The insights provided by the employees of Wenlock Priory and the Much Wenlock Museum, Rievaulx Abbey, and Fountains Abbey into the workings of their sites and towards new potential avenues of investigation was invaluable.
I am deeply grateful to the BAA for their funding of these trips, which allowed me to develop my dissertation through direct experience with the monastic sites, their surrounding topography, and all the wonderful, knowledgeable people I encountered.