Tynemouth Priory

The castled priory has served as both a fortress and a church in the last 1,000 years. It's srategic placement has seen its use against Vikings, Scots armies, Napoleon, and Germany in both World Wars. Originally a monastery but sacked by the Danes in 800, it was rebuilt as a priory in 1090 when work included the building of castle walls. Then Henry VIII, envious of its strategic location at the mouth of the Tyne, dissolved the Benedictine Priory in the 16th century. Its history belongs in another time but it's still a prominent landmark here at the southern point of the River Tyne's estuary.

Three kings were buried here - Oswin King of Deria (651), Osred King of Northumbria (792), Malcolm III King of Scotland (1093) - and 3 crowns still adorn the North Tyneside Council's coat of arms. 

This is a good starting point for the Three Rivers Cycle Route but the route has been designed as such that you can start at many different points within Tyneside, Wearside, Teesside and County Durham, and a great way to discover some local history, modern as well as ancient, along the way.

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