In July 2024 it is the 900th anniversary of the founding of Tulketh Abbey in Preston.
Furness Abbey in Cumbria was founded three years later in 1127 but the history of that abbey can be traced back to 1124, when a community of monks from Normandy arrived at Tulketh.
After their short stay at Tuketh the monks moved in 1127 to the ‘vale of nightshade’ on the Furness peninsula, which was then part of Lancashire.
At Tulketh the monastery was situated very close to the original medieval Tulketh Hall. The site of the monastery remained long in local memory and was marked on the earliest O.S. maps. The most recent hall was only demolished in 1959 and the monastery site continued to be marked on O.S. maps until the mid 20th century.
This 5 minute film tells the story of Tulketh monastery.