Built by Benedictine monks on a strategic bluff above the mouth of the Tyne in the 11th-century ruins, Tynemouth Priory was ransacked during the Dissolution in 1539. The military took over for four centuries, only leaving in 1960, and today the ruined remains of the priory church sit alongside old military installations, their guns aimed out to sea at an enemy that never came.
Tynemouth Priory
Northeast England
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
BALTIC – Centre for Contemporary Art
7.88 MILES
Once a huge mustard-coloured grain store, BALTIC is now a huge mustard-coloured art gallery rivalling London's Tate Modern. There are no permanent…
Nearby Northeast England attractions
1. Segedunum
4.86 MILES
The last strong post of Hadrian's Wall was the fort of Segedunum, 5 miles east of Newcastle at the 'wall's end', now the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend…
2. Ouseburn Farm
7.42 MILES
Shetland ponies, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and agricultural crops aren't what you'd expect to find in built-up Newcastle, but you can see them all at…
3. Seven Stories – The Centre for Children's Books
7.46 MILES
A marvellous conversion of a handsome Victorian mill has resulted in Seven Stories, a very hands-on museum dedicated to the wondrous world of children's…
4. Victoria Tunnel
7.46 MILES
Walking Newcastle's streets, you'd never know this extraordinary tunnel runs for 2.5 miles beneath your feet. Built between 1839 and 1842 as a coal-wagon…
5. Biscuit Factory
7.63 MILES
No prizes for guessing what this commercial art gallery used to be. These days, it's the UK's biggest contemporary art, craft and design gallery/shop,…
6. BALTIC – Centre for Contemporary Art
7.88 MILES
Once a huge mustard-coloured grain store, BALTIC is now a huge mustard-coloured art gallery rivalling London's Tate Modern. There are no permanent…
7. Laing Art Gallery
8.09 MILES
The exceptional collection at the Laing includes works by Gainsborough, Gauguin and Henry Moore, and an important collection of paintings by…
8. Great North Museum
8.1 MILES
The contents of Newcastle University's museums and the prestigious Hancock Museum's natural-history exhibits come together in the latter's neoclassical…