#cockerham sands

[thesilicontribesman]

Cockerham Sands, nr. Glasson, Lancashire.

A vast, bleak landscape and yet one that has been occupied since the 10th century or likely even earlier. A hermitage existed on the shoreline here and then later in the 11th century Cockerham Abbey was established.

[robthepensioner]

Cows with their own pond near Cockerham Sands, Lancashire.

[thesilicontribesman]

Cockerham Abbey Remains and Landscape, Cockerham Sands, Lancashire.

[robthepensioner]

A house near Cockerham Sands that is so appealing it needs a "Private" sign. It also has its own anchor and a signpost to nowhere.

[thesilicontribesman]

‘Cockersand Abbey’, near Glasson Docks, Lancashire, 14.5.17. This is possibly one of the most obscure and overlooked ancient sites in the North West and a likely location for quite a colourful history. Originally the home of a hermit or religious recluse in the 11th or 12th century, this became the site of Cockersand Abbey; a sizeable and isolated religious base built on an island of clay just high enough to avoid the winter high tides. The exposed and remote location of this island must have made the abbey very seldom visited. Was the location visited by Norse raiders prior to or during the construction of the abbey? There is no documentation to support this but it would have made a helpful mooring point and gateway to other locations around the fringes of the Irish sea. All that remains of the original abbey is a largely reworked and re-figured chapter house and the odd segment of abbey wall. The ground is littered with stones from the original outbuildings and walls. The final image shows the likely location of the landing ground the abbey and the bleak but eerily beautiful landscape surrounding the site. Records indicate that as late as 1496, the Abbot of Shap had asked for a guide from the abbey to aid him in ‘avoiding the perils of the sea’ when approaching the site. Cockersand Abbey no longer sits on an island but access is by reclaimed and marshy flatlands.

[robthepensioner]

Cows standing about near Cockerham Sands, Lancashire.

[robthepensioner]

A cottage in Cockerham Sands, Lancashire, has its own anchor.

[robthepensioner]

A window with a view of Cockerham Sands, Lancashire.