Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey | |
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56°33′45″N 2°34′56″W / 56.5625°N 2.582222°W | |
History | |
Founded | 1178 |
Founder(s) | King William the Lion |
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of
The last Abbot was
History
King William gave the Abbey independence from its founding abbey,
The Abbey, which was the richest in
The Abbey fell into ruin after the Reformation. From 1590 onward, its stones were raided for buildings in the town of Arbroath. This continued until 1815 when steps were taken to preserve the remaining ruins.
On Christmas Day 1950, the Stone of Destiny went missing from Westminster Abbey. On April 11, 1951, the stone was found lying on the site of the Abbey's altar.
Since 1947, a major historical re-enactment commemorating the Declaration's signing has been held within the roofless remains of the Abbey church. The celebration is run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, and tells the story of the events which led up to the signing. This is not an annual event. However, a special event to mark the signing is held every year on the 6th of April and involves a street procession and short piece of street theatre.
In 2005 The Arbroath Abbey campaign was launched.[3] The campaign seeks to gain World Heritage Status for the iconic Angus landmark that was the birthplace of one of Scotland's most significant document, The Declaration of Arbroath.[4] Campaigners believe that the Abbey's historical pronouncement makes it a prime candidate to achieve World Heritage Status. MSP Alex Johnstone wrote "Clearly, the Declaration of Arbroath is a literary work of outstanding universal significance by any stretch of the imagination"[5] In 2008, the Campaign Group Chairman, Councillor Jim Millar launched a public petition to reinforce the bid explaining "We're simply asking people to, local people especially, to sign up to the campaign to have the Declaration of Arbroath and Arbroath Abbey recognised by the United Nations. Essentially we need local people to sign up to this campaign simply because the United Nations demand it."[6]
Architectural description
The Abbey was built over some sixty years using local red sandstone, but gives the impression of a single coherent, mainly '
The distinctive round window high in the south transept was originally lit up at night as a beacon for mariners. It is known locally as the 'Round O', and from this tradition inhabitants of Arbroath are colloquially known as 'Reid Lichties' (Scots reid = red).
Little remains of the claustral buildings of the Abbey except for the impressive gatehouse, which stretches between the south-west corner of the church and a defensive tower on the High Street, and the still complete Abbot's House, a building of the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries, which is the best preserved of its type in Scotland.
In the summer of 2001, a new visitors' centre was opened to the public beside the Abbey's west front. This red sandstone-clad building, with its distinctive 'wave-shaped' organic roof, planted with sedum, houses displays on the history of the Abbey and some of the best surviving stonework and other relics. The upper storey features a scale model of the Abbey complex, a computer-generated 'fly-through' reconstruction of the church as it was when complete, and a viewing gallery with excellent views of the ruins. The centre won the 2002 Angus Design Award. An archaeological investigation of the site of the visitors' centre before building started revealed the foundations of the medieval precinct wall, with a gateway, and stonework discarded during manufacture, showing that the area was the site of the masons' yard while the Abbey was being built.
See also
- Abbot of Arbroath, for a list of abbots and commendators
- 1950 removal of the Stone of Scone
References
- ^ a b c public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Arbroath". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 339. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Blair, David Oswald Hunter (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- ^ [1] Archived 2008-02-05 at the Wayback Machine Rampant Scotland Newsletter, 19 November 2005
- ^ "Local History | Historic Buildings | Arbroath Abbey | Angus Council". Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.Angus Council Website, Arbroath Abbey article (1998–2008)
- ^ [2] Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine The Arbroath World Heritage Campaign, Points on Nomination (2005)
- ^ "Interview with Jim Millar, February 2008"[permanent dead link], Group Chairman of the Arbroath Abbey Campaign
External links
- Historic Environment Scotland. "Arbroath Abbey and associated buildings, including the Abbot's House (SM90018)".
- Undiscovered Scotland's detailed history
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140220180351/http://www.angus.gov.uk/history/features/buildings/arbabbey.htm
- http://www.arbroathabbeypageant.com
- 2002 Angus Design Award