THE PRIORY PLAN:Layout 3
24/2/09
10:03
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The Priory
L E O M I N S T E R
The Priory Churchyard is rich in history. The present red sandstone church is all that remains of a 12th century Benedictine monastery.
There were other religious houses here even before the 12th century.
The Priory is home to a wealth of plants
and animals. The trees, shrubs,
grassland and stonework set in a quiet,
sheltered location provide a wildlife
sanctuary within the town.
Taller vegetation around the
edges supports butterflies
and small mammals
like field vole and
bank vole. You may
even see a slow
worm, the
harmless legless
lizard, on warm
days.
Song thrush
Have you noticed
the large variety
and number of trees.
The tallest trees here
are the Wellingtonia,
native trees of California –
the world's largest living organism and
one of the longest lived. The beautiful
Atlas cedar, which comes from the Atlas
mountains in North Africa
also grows at The Priory.
Smoky Spindles
Old grassland is a good place to
find fungi such as waxcaps.
Search for the smoky spindles,
which blackens with age and the
snowy waxcap both seen growing
here in autumn in the short
mown grass.
Pipistrelle bats, with their jerky,
dodging flight, emerge around sunset
from roosts in tree holes and crevices
in the church building.
Snow Gum
Lichens, mosses and
ferns add to the
beauty of the
stonework.
There are at least 64
different species of lichen on the
stonework and some of them grow
only one millimetre a year.
Wellingtonia
Western
Red Cedar
Coast
Redwood
Priory Church
Twenty different species of birds have been
recorded here. Listen for song thrush with
its repeating song and look for the spotted
flycatcher, a flighty summer visitor from
Southern Africa. Both are birds of
conservation concern.
Pipistrelle bat
Take time to stroll around and enjoy the
atmosphere of this peaceful place.
Take a look at some of
the gravestones - they
give information on
the past life of the
town, on stone
cutting and carving
and fashions in
design and verse.
Take care when walking off the main paths
as the ground is uneven with stones laid
flat, which may be slippery.
Wellingtonia
We hope you have enjoyed your visit.
Coast
Redwood
Dawn
Redwood
Wellingtonia
Atlas cedar
Sycamore
Atlas cedar
Common Lime
Common Lime
Holly blue
Supported by
Meadow brown
Bank vole
Snowdrops
This project has been part funded by the Rural Regeneration Zone’s Nexus Grant Scheme
administered by Community First on behalf of Advantage West Midlands.
Community
Projects Grant
Caring for God’s Acre Tel: 01568 611154 Email: [email protected] www.caringforgodsacre.co.uk
Charity Reg. No. 1084504