Report - Birkenhead Priory, Birkenhead, May 2012

SAt · May 16, 2012

The Priory

Visited with The Kwan

I had wanted to get up here before now but couldnt make the first trip up, once i saw it was scaffed to the top i had to make the trip down!

I met up with The Kwan nearby and we set off up, all was calm on the lower levels but around halfway up it got ridiculously windy and a scaffhook wasn't looking like a bad idea!! I made it to the bottom of the last ladder and although i was gutted to not make it to the top it was just far too windy so i made do with the 2nd from top lift.

A bit of history nicked from Wiki-

Birkenhead Priory is in Priory Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It is the oldest standing building on Merseyside.[1] The remains of the priory are a Grade I listed building[2] and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It was founded about 1150 by Hamon de Masci, 3rd Baron of Dunham Massey for the Benedictine Order.[3]
The Priory was visited twice by Edward I due to its strategic importance being close to the borders of Wales, and also the Irish Sea.
In 1318 the monks from Birkenhead Priory were granted ferry rights by Edward II. This allowed them to build a house in what is now Water Street to store their corn. The house was also used by travellers for shelter if the weather was too bad for the ferry to cross the River Mersey.[3]

The ship in the pictures is Wave Knight, some info here..

RFA Wave Knight is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

Wave Knight was built by VSEL (after 1999, BAE Systems Marine), being launched in 2000. She was accepted into service in 2003 and is the 2nd ship to bear this name in RFA service. Wave Knight and her sister Wave Ruler replaced the elderly Olna and Olwen, two Ol-class 36,000 ton fast fleet tankers built at Swan Hunter and Hawthorn Leslie respectively in the 1960s.[3] She is currently commanded by Captain Chris Clarke, RFA

On with the Pics-