New
New
Year 10
AQA

The design of Castle Acre Priory

I can explain how and why Castle Acre Priory was constructed as it was.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The design of Castle Acre Priory

I can explain how and why Castle Acre Priory was constructed as it was.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Castle Acre Priory was built in the Romanesque style, with Gothic elements.
  2. Castle Acre Priory was designed to meet the needs of a community of monks.

Keywords

  • Romanesque - the style of building that was fashionable in Western Europe which recalled the power of the Roman Empire

  • Cloister - a covered walkway enclosing a large open courtyard, found in a religious building

  • Dormitory - a large room designed for many people to sleep in

  • Refectory - a room used for communal meals

Common misconception

Because the priory is so large, it must have been home to many hundreds of monks.

In fact, only 20 to 30 monks lived at Castle Acre Priory at any one time, and the original number when the priory was first being built was only around 6.

Several well-researched video tours of the site are available online.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Archbishop Lanfranc issued instructions and guidance on how monks should carry out their duties in which document?
The Monastic Rule of Lanfranc
The Benediction Order of Lanfranc
Correct answer: The Monastic Constitutions of Lanfranc
The Revisions of Lanfranc
Q2.
Lanfranc wanted English monasteries to more strictly follow the rule of which religious order?
Correct answer: The Benedictine Order
The Franciscan Order
The Carthusian Order
The Order of St Augustine
Q3.
Monks from Abbey objected to Lanfranc's rewording of the liturgy.
Correct Answer: Glastonbury
Q4.
The number of Benedictine monasteries in England increased from in 1066 to 250 by 1135.
Correct Answer: 35, thirty-five, thirty five
Q5.
The Normans changed the leaders of from Anglo-Saxon to Norman abbots.
Correct Answer: monasteries, abbeys
Q6.
By 1086, how many Anglo-Saxon abbots remained in England?
1
Correct answer: 3
7
15

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:Romanesque,the style of building which recalled the power of the Roman Empire

the style of building which recalled the power of the Roman Empire

Correct Answer:cloister,covered walkway enclosing a courtyard, found in a religious building

covered walkway enclosing a courtyard, found in a religious building

Correct Answer:dormitory,a large room designed for many people to sleep in

a large room designed for many people to sleep in

Correct Answer:refectory,a room used for communal meals

a room used for communal meals

Q2.
Castle Acre Priory was built in the Romanesque style, with elements.
Correct Answer: Gothic
Q3.
What type of patterns were added above doorways and arches to add to their decoration?
polka dot and striped patterns
flowers and other floral patterns
Correct answer: chevron and other geometric patterns
circular and square patterns
Q4.
To keep walls strong but still looking Romanesque, what architectural feature did many Norman buildings feature?
sturdy roofs
Correct answer: blind arcades
Correct answer: multiple arches
large windows
Q5.
Complete the sentence: Castle Acre Priory had semi-circular spaces called at the eastern end to make space for more altars for the monks who had qualified as priests to say masses.
Correct Answer: apses
Q6.
Which buildings were located slightly apart from the main buildings at Castle Acre Priory?
the chapel and the scriptorium
the refectory and the church
the dormitory and the cloister
Correct answer: the kitchen and the infirmary

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