Priory Arts Home2025-06-05T16:38:20+00:00

FRENCH CONNECTIONS

Friday 4 July 7pm The Priory Church, Leominster

Organist Hilary Norris is a familiar figure in the local music scene; trumpeter Stuart Essenhigh joins her at Leominster Priory at 7 pm for a recital demonstrating the influence of our French neighbours on English music. They will be playing works by Purcell, Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Widor. Stuart is principal trumpet with the English Symphony Orchestra, and when he’s not on stage one of his hobbies is motorcycle trials riding! Book your tickets for the concert and other Priory 900 events here: Follow this link to book your tickets on TicketSource

Tickets also available at the Tourist Information Centre – Corn Square, Leominster. £10

MUSIC, DANCE AND STORIES

Wednesday 18th June 7pm

Leominster Morris , Passamezzo Early Dance, Leominster Priory Choir and Leominster History Society present 900 years of history in dance, story and music.

Tickets available on TicketSource or at the Tourist Information Centre – Corn Square, Leominster. £5

Our leaflet is here!

Details of all of the wonderful and amazing events that you can join in with.

Click on the image to the left or right to view and download a pdf.

Please pick up a copy from shops around town, The Priory or the Leominster Information Centre in Corn Square where you can also buy tickets.

Here is the full list of events – click on the images for more

information and follow the links to book tickets

The Priory Church continues to be open for services and visits

We are a welcoming and inclusive church in the rural market town of Leominster, in Hereford Diocese.

Whether you would like to come to a church service, are enquiring about a special event, such as a wedding or a christening or are a visitor; click here to visit the Priory Church website.

Leominster Priory is open to visitors daily from 10am-3pm.

Leominster Priory is part of Leominster Team Ministry which includes 23 churches: The Eastern Parishes of Stoke Prior, Kimbolton, Hamnish, Hatfield, Ford, Hope-under-Dinmore, Pudleston, Bockleton, Middleton-on-the-Hill, Leysters, Humber, and Docklow. The Western Parishes of Dilwyn, Orleton, Brimfield, Eyton, Eye,

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In 2025 the royal Norman Nave of Leominster Priory will be 900 years old.

A nationally important spiritual, cultural and community space, this significant date will be marked by celebrating the Priory’s amazing story. 

The story of Norman Leominster will also be told with an exhibition about the Bayeux Tapestry. The ‘Mystery Woman’ of the Bayeux Tapestry may show the last Saxon Abbess of Leominster, Eadgifu, who was abducted by Swein Godwinson to the scandal of late Saxon England.

With support from the Harley Charity, and The Friends of Leominster Priory

@LeominsterPriory’s flower arranging team is looking for donations of garden flowers and greenery to help with decorating the church for #Priory900. Their theme is Old English Cottage garden flowers and scented herbs, in pinks, purples, blues and reds – for example sweet peas, phlox, stocks, lavender, aubretia, Astrantia, Sweet William or mint. The arrangements will need changing two or three times over the month-long period of the celebrations, so top-ups will be gratefully received. Contributions should be left at the Forbury office on weekday mornings.
Leominster Heritage Guides @leominsterhg will be fully involved in our #Priory900 celebrations. Their 90-minute guided walks start from the Information Centre in Corn Square and will pay special attention to the role of @LeominsterPriory and the impact of 12th-century town planning on Leominster’s street plan and markets. The walks are taking place in June and July on Saturdays at 11am and Wednesdays at 2pm. The June dates are Saturday 14, Wednesday 18, Saturday 21, Wednesday 25 and Saturday 28. July dates Wednesday 2, Saturday 5, Wednesday 9 and Saturday 12. Tickets £5 (under 18s free) may be reserved now at Leominster Information Centre, 11 Corn Square, tel 01568 616460. https://prioryarts.org.uk/leominster-heritage-walks/
Join @LeominsterChoralSociety and their conductor James Atherton a fortnight today, 15 June, for a glorious summer celebration of music by composers associated with Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire – they include Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst and Parry. 'Choral Classics from the Three Counties' is part of our #Priory900 festival. Tickets available from Fletchers Newsagents, Broad St, Leominster Tourist Information Centre, or online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/leominster-choral-soc
Just a fortnight to go until the opening of our #Priory900 exhibitions in @LeominsterPriory on 14 June! We couldn’t put on this month-long celebration without the amazing support of our funders and sponsors. They are: The National Lottery Heritage Fund @HeritageFundUK, @LeominsterTownCouncil, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The Elmley Foundation, The Harley Charity, The Heritage fund Rowlands Trust, The William A. Cadbury Trust and the Friends of Leominster Priory. Check out the details of all our events on our website www.prioryarts.org.uk
Great to see our #Priory900 advertisement on the back cover of the June issue of @BroadSheep magazine, which has a fantastic reach around Herefordshire and the Welsh Marches. Thank you to the team at Broadsheep for listing our exhibitions, talks, workshops and concerts in the relevant sections of the magazine.
Once upon a time this grassy space behind @Leominster Priory was part of the great priory church, which was almost twice the size it is now. Archaeologists have found evidence of transepts, a Lady Chapel and several small side chapels, all destroyed at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. Find out more about the Priory’s lost East End in our #Priory900 exhibitions and a special talk on 11 July.
The famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 includes 190 horses, 35 dogs, and 626 human figures – but only three of those human figures are women. One of them may have had a strong connection to @LeominsterPriory … find out more at our FREE #Priory900 exhibitions, open 10 am to 4 pm 14 June – 14 July in the Priory (Image courtesy of Reading Museum, which holds a replica of the complete tapestry.)
Bell ringing and weaving provide the themes for a morning reading on Saturday 21 June by Malvern-based poet Catherine Swire from a new edition of her pamphlet Bells Untolled, specially printed for #Priory900 by her publishers The Artel Press. Local artist Jackie Morris who will be showing the second iteration of her bell ringing inspired sculpture ‘Stedman Doubles’, first installed in @LeominsterPriory in 2017, and the Priory bellringers will also be taking part in this imaginative presentation in sound, words and sculpture. FREE to attend in the Priory.
Do you like making things? Join us in @LeominsterPriory from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday 14 June for THE GREAT NORMAN STITCH-UP. To kick off the Priory900 festivities we’ll be offering traditional Norman crafts for all ages, including stitching, sculpture design inspired by the Priory’s architecture, calligraphy, and a chance to have a go at stone masonry or take a selfie in Norman dress. The event is FREE to attend and refreshments will be available. More info: https://prioryarts.org.uk/14th-june-great-norman-stitch-up/
13th July Andrew Ziminski book signing and talk. https://prioryarts.org.uk/13th-july-talk-book-singing-with-andrew-ziminski/
Look out for our @PrioryArtsLeominster lion logo on posters and other publicity for the Priory900 celebrations in June and July this year. It is inspired by the ancient lion carving on one of the pillars on the great west door of @LeominsterPriory. Find out more about the renowned Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture and how the lion came to be associated with Leominster at many of our Priory Arts events. https://prioryarts.org.uk/priory-900/
Booklovers will find plenty to interest them at @LeominsterPriory’s #Priory900 festival in June and July. We’ll be launching Rob Walker’s booklet on The Normans in and around Leominster; Ledbury-based poet Catherine Swire will be reading from a new edition of Bells Untolled, specially reissued by @ArtelPress for our event with sculptor @JackieHMorris; and stonemason Andrew Ziminski will join us to talk about ‘How to build a Priory’ and sign copies of his best-sellers The Stone Mason and Church Going. With thanks to @RossiterBooks for their support. https://prioryarts.org.uk/
Our #Priory900 festival includes a great range of music-related events, from the Norman-themed Ceilidh on the opening night 14 June through an unbuttoned evening of music, dance and story presented by Passamezzo Early Dance, @LeominsterMorris, @LeominsterPriory Choir and Leominster History Society; large-scale choral classics performed by @LeominsterChoralSociety; intimate gems of medieval music sung by Border Voices accompanied by period instruments; and evening of French-accented music for trumpet and organ; and a chance for keen amateur singers to join the Priory Choir for a candlelit service of Compline. Find out more here: https://prioryarts.org.uk/
Congratulations to @herefordshirehistoriesfestival on their first festival – what a glorious week of talks and visits. If you’re keen to explore more #HerefordshireHistory, check out @LeominsterPriory’s #Priory900 programme of performances, workshops, history walks and free exhibitions, running 14 June – 14 July. Its focus is on the #Norman heritage of this ancient place of pilgrimage. Details https://prioryarts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Priory-900-Leaflet.pdf
Saturday 14th June - Come and join in with the free Great Norman Stitch Up - Norman crafts for all ages including stone carving, stitching, calligraphy and make your own mini monk! 10am-4pm at the Priory Leominster. look at www.prioryarts.org.uk for more info.

Priory Arts is a sub committee of the PCC Charity Number: 1131837

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