Donjon Pons - From Below

Our last medieval blog post featured the magnificent donjon in Pons in the Charente-Maritime. We were able to show you the views from the very top of the donjon looking out for miles across the French countryside.

Today we are going back down to the bottom of the donjon and looking up. This video clip gives an idea of the size and scale of the tower. Imagine what it took to construct this back in medieval times - in 1187 in fact.

This particular donjon is now classed as one of France's historical monuments and is regarded as the best example of its type in SW France. The tower is 30m in height and its walls are between 2.5m and 4.4m thick.

Read about the magnificent donjon in Bazoges-en-Pareds.

Read more about medieval donjons.

Lanercost Priory Video 4

Here is our 4th video clip on the subject of Lanercost Priory - a magnificent example of medieval monastic ruins currently looked after by English Heritage.

Lanercost Priory is the kind of place of interest to anyone with an interest in medieval history and medieval worship. With a history of close to 900 years it is a place that has seen some remarkable events - from King Edward I in Lanercost to the attacks of the legendary William Wallace and Robert The Bruce. There's also a whole history of connections to the local families of De Vaux, Dacre and Howard (Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn form part of the fascinating Howard ancestry). Remember you can now stay in a super Lanercost holiday cottage just a few hundred metres from the Priory. Self catering doesn't get more historic than that!