From the sacred silence of Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, to the small village of Newstead in the Scottish Borders before ending up at Melrose Abbey, this podcast dives into Medieval history, and brings it to the 21st century.

I have been inspired to tell this story by the Newstead Village Community Trust and their first ever Sundials Festival (Saturday 7 September 2025). The community is rightly proud of the heritage of the stonemasons, and I hope this podcast and the village's new Newstead Stonemasons Trail will bring this fascinating piece of Borders heritage to new audiences.

Links:

Dryburgh Abbey Podcast (more on King David I)

Rievaulx Abbey (English Heritage)

Newstead Village Community Trust

Melrose Abbey (Historic Environment Scotland)