Access unclearno public right of way confirmed — check locally before setting out
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Book ahead or you will only see the outside. St Osyth’s Priory was an Augustinian house founded around 1121 by Richard de Belmeis, Bishop of London, and dissolved in 1539; the estate has been in private hands ever since. Its late-15th-century gatehouse, patterned all over in flint flushwork, stands on the village street and is often called one of the finest in England. Behind it the Darcy House ranges and chapel are roofless ruins, and no part of the priory is in religious use now. The Priory and Parish Trust runs booked tours and open days through the year. Brightlingsea is across the creek.
More at the National Heritage List entry
