Merton Priory was once the centre of learning in the area, and it’s still a great place to learn about history.
If you’re a teacher, here are our schools resources.
If you are a parent (or even a pupil), have a look at the schools page, but here are some additional resources.
Information for educators
As well as resources and lesson ideas, which you can find on our schools page, here are some information sheets for background knowledge.
Our 900th anniversary leaflet on Merton Priory is here, and you can see some of our exhibition boards online.
A cartoon biography of our former student Thomas Becket is here, and a short video is here.
Visit us
We’d love you to visit. If you’re a parent, Merton Priory is normally open every weekend between April and September. If you’re a teacher, please contact us to arrange a class visit.
Links
Our 15-minute film about Merton Priory is here. In addition, there are some excellent resources about monasteries on the internet. Here are a few:
- The late, great Terry Jones’ documentary on monks (about half an hour)
- Lewes Priory offers education packs and information, including an illustrated guide to monks
- Wessex Archaeology’s learning resources, including some useful sign language (monks were largely silent)
- Here’s some information about life in a couple of Cistercian monasteries
- Here’s Historic Scotland’s booklet on Jedburgh Abbey
- Here’s the Welsh Cistercian Abbey of Basingwerk: a video on a monk’s day (6 mins) and a teaching resource full of ideas, information and activities.
- And here’s one on the Cistercians in Ireland.
Feedback
We really value your ideas and suggestions on how to improve or add to our resources. Please e-mail us with your comments.