Archaeological remains of medieval St Clare Abbey could be displayed in a new permanent museum space as part of the redevelopment of the site’s post-war business district.
New office district (c) PLP Architects
The Franciscan Abbey of St. Clare Minores was founded in the 13th century just north of the Tower of London and just outside the Roman walls surrounding the City of London.
This monastery was part of the Franciscan order, just as the men adopted the Latin terminology. Flatless Minor (“Lesser Brethren”) To show humility, the nuns were called: underage solo wrestling (‘minor sisters’), who were treated as ‘minors’ in medieval England.
This area of London is called “Minories”, after the minors.
The abbey fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII. The surrounding land was developed and the surviving abbey buildings were used in various ways by bishops, lords, and at one time by staff of the Tower of London. The few buildings that survived were finally destroyed by fire in 1797.
“View of the ruins of the Abbey of St. Clare or Minores” – Excerpt from Smith’s Ancient Topography of London. 1812
The building now on the site, officially known as St. Clair House, was built in the mid-1950s and survives the Great Fire of London, a World War II air raid that wiped out the site. The buildings will be demolished one after another, and a larger office building will be built on their site. PLP Architects designed the new office block, which features a stepped design with a row of rooftop terraces available to office residents.
But next to him is a lone survivor of an air raid. The former Victorian warehouse building is due to be renovated as a community center as part of the terms attached to the office block next door. The warehouse building, known as the “Writer’s House,” will include an archaeological and cultural center on its ground floor, with new retail space and affordable work space above.
The remains of the monastery are known to remain within the writer’s home and are predicted to be discovered during construction. The site also contains Byzantine burial grounds and may have rich archaeological potential. Hopes are high that something will be found after a magnificent Roman stone statue of an eagle was discovered nearby in 2013, possibly emerging from a tomb. The sculpture is set to form part of the new Museum of London’s future Roman Museum, opening in 2026.
There are also probably ruins of post-medieval buildings underground, which may provide new insight into how the former monastic buildings were modified in the 16th and 17th centuries. This is a subject that is not well understood in the city. for a moment.
When the Writer’s House opens, appropriate artifacts will be displayed in a new space within the building, and you’ll be free to visit whenever the cultural center is open (which is expected most days of the week).
It won’t be a big museum, it’ll probably just be a few glass cabinets and some interpretive boards, but there’s no doubt that a new museum will be built in London.