UK’s Earliest Parliament (1236 CE) – ABBEY MILLS: MERTON PRIORY CHAPTER HOUSE – 900 YEAR OLD WOODEN ARCH! PART 3 (7.8.2022)

Abbey Mills has always seemed to be a busy commercial area of South London and has a long history – like much of this area. In the old days, much of the UK was covered with Catholic monasteries, churches and many other similar buildings, Following the dissolution of the monasteries during the late 1530s, all this Catholic dominance came to a sudden, dramatic and violent end when Henry VIII decided he would no longer recognise the dominance and authority of the Pope! This single act changed the world forever and ushered in modernity, individualism and capitalism! The Old Church was replaced with a ‘new’ version that was then spread throughout the world through British (and European) colonialism! The point is that we are all the product of history – that is ‘of what came before’ – and that these strata of our being lies primarily buried beneath our feet and awaits rediscovery! Experts, governments, individuals and special interest groups can argue about the provenance of these finds, but one point everyone involved in this debate agrees upon is that history is undoubtedly beneath our feet!

Video Footage – ABBEY MILLS: MERTON PRIORY CHAPTER HOUSE – 900 YEAR OLD WOODEN ARCH! PART 2! (7.8.2022)

Hopefully, these random videos will assist people all over the UK (and the world) to understand and appreciate this wonderful exhibition of 12th century British history! Furthermore, we want to assist the elderly, the vulnerable and people with disabilities and difficulties to experience this exhibition ‘remotely’ – so that they are not excluded from the sharing of British history – which belongs to us all! After teaching Chinese martial arts this morning, we drove from Sutton to South Wimbledon (a distance of 3.9 miles) which took about 30 minutes to achieve! We then walked a slightly longer way around the supermarket and along the river until we reached ‘Chapter House’ – a place we did not know exactly where it was! However, the day was sunny, we were happy and time was on our side!

Abbey Mills: Merton Priory Chapter House – 900 Year Old Wooden Arch! Part 1 (7.8.2022)

A friend of mine forwarded me a local newspaper article that explained that this artefact had been kept (in storage) for over 30 years at the Wandle Industrial Museum, before an expert realised what it was! Chapter House is a building in a car-park opposite a very large supermarket – but the entire grounds of an Augustine monastery lie under this car-park with only part of it currently being visible to the general public! This project requires a major input of money and expertise so that the entire complex can be excavated and enjoyed by the general public! I suspect the car-park needs to be removed and rebuilt at a higher level – so that the monastic ruins can be exposed and preserved in a safe and protected underground environment that the general public can visit. At the moment, adults and children can visit for ‘free’ with the exhibition being open only on Sundays between 11 am – 4 pm! The people that administer this project are friendly, knowledgeable and are willing to engage absolutely EVERYONE who finds their way into the Chapter House!

Down House: Meeting Darwin’s Bees! (9.7.2022)

We have visited Down House a number of times in the past for educational needs – and to marvel at Darwin’s copy of Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’ that is no longer on display (follow the link to read my article on the Buddhist Marxism Alliance UK website)! We last came in March (2022) as ‘Lockdown’ was abating! However, at this time we noticed that there was no Bees! We were told by a member of staff working in the ‘Out-House’ that the Bees are only at Down House during the Summer months and that they are moved to a warmer area (possibly in-doors) for the rest of the year!

Down House: A Curious Stone Wall… (9.7.2022)

The middle-classes possessed an idyllic physical space within which their bodies existed – a situation (and set of material conditions) that often generated a corresponding sense of a ‘spacious’ interior (or expansive mind-set) that could, providing the right education and motivation was present, lead to ground-breaking theorising and progressive scientific endeavour!

Down House: Sat in Charles Darwin’s Shelter! (9.7.2022)

It is said that Charles Darwin would walk around the ‘Sand-Track’ that ran around the exterior boundary of his property on a daily basis – to keep fit! Approximately half-way through – Charles Darwin had a wooden shelter (with a seat) constructed – where he would sit and think for awhile – before starting the journey home! As the years progress – we take family pictures sat on this seat!

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