This article shares information about the ancient  seaport  of Dunwich which once belonged to the Templars, located on the east coast of England.

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Dunwich, England was once a burgeoning Templar shipbuilding seaport.  But  Dunwich  is now a tiny village of only 50  full-time residents and 50 part time residents. But during medieval times, Dunwich was a Templar stronghold, the size of London, with a harbor, ship-building & mercantile industry. Dunwich was a ‘King’s Town’ and belonged to medieval English royal families, even King Richard the Lionheart! The city of Dunwich contributed large amounts to the ransom of King Richard and provided ships for that ransom as well.

 But over time, the sea has claimed the entire town, including a Templar preceptory and its churches. Dunwich Harbor no longer remains as the stormy sea washed the land out to sea along with at least nine churches and the entire village… meter by meter.

 Now, the Greyfriar’s abbey, which was once on the western edge of town, stand precariously at the top of  shingle (pebble stone) sea cliffs and is expected to last only another 50 years. 

I spent the week exploring the area, walking the beaches, breathing the salt air, visiting churches and found many remnants of Templar heritage.  Southwold,  5 miles along the beach just north of Dunwich became my home base during my stay.  My explorations took me to Dunwich, Southwold, Southcove, Blythburough, Huntingfield, Walberswick and the heaths which connect the villages along the seashore. I walked 6-8 miles on several occasions, knowing that other Templars had walked these shores.

St. George, one of the patron saints of the Templars was to be found in every church that I visited. There was a fantastic medieval mural of him in Southcove Church, not even 4 miles from Dunwich.

I visited St. Mary's Church, which was laden with MANY painted Templar symbols. St. Mary’s, which had been restored to its medieval Norman glory, was located near 'Temple Covert' ( now on private property). I found grail crosses like the Rosslyn grail cross in several places through St. Mary’s, which  was very interesting.

St. Mary’s Church’s showcase was its painted ceiling, which featured the Pascal Lamb and the Templar Cross, the Twelve patriarchs amidst six-pointed stars against a blue sky. The Gospel of John was written along the ceiling of the Eastern end, forming a Lady Chapel. The teachings of the Templars were inscribed in St. Mary’s name and in every corner of this lovely church!

For further reading, I would suggest:

•  Men of Dunwich, by Rowland  Parker, published in 1979, but Amazon has plenty available.
• The Search for Dunwich Under the Sea  by  Jean & Stuart Bacon,  1979, also available at Amazon.

Also websites on the archaeological excavations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich

http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/reports/dunwich/

http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/ArchRev/rev98_9/regions.htm

http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/britarch/collections/dunwich.html

Below is an article which may also be of interest.

In Fellowship,

Linda Berthelsen

Commander Templar Fellowship of America

Underwater city could be revealed  

Britain's own underwater "Atlantis" could be revealed for the first time with hi-tech underwater cameras.  

Marine archaeologist Stuart Bacon and Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, will explore the lost city of Dunwich, off the Suffolk coast.  Dunwich gradually disappeared into the sea because of coastal erosion.  "It's about the application of new technology to investigate Britain's Atlantis, then to give this information to the public," Professor Sear said.  Mr Bacon, director of the Suffolk Underwater Studies, first located the debris of the lost city in the 1970s.  

Technical advances  

"I know the site like the back of my hand because I have dived on it about 1,000 times," said Mr Bacon who has been working on the medieval site since 1971.  

"We have found three churches and one chapel."  

There is diving evidence of debris from lost chapels and churches but high silt levels in the water means visibility is only a few centimetres.  Mr Sear, professor in physical geography at the University of Southampton, said: "Technical advances have massively improved our ability to create accurate acoustic images of the seafloor."  The expedition will use the latest sonar, underwater camera and scanning equipment to build up a picture of the ancient sunken city, that lies between 10ft (3m) and 50ft (15m) down.  

Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1,500 years ago.  Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast and it was eventually reduced through coastal erosion to the village it is today.  Mr Bacon and Professor Sear hope to begin exploring the seabed in June.  The expedition will cost £25,000 - £20,000 of which has already been raised through a donation from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.  

Maps and images of the lost city will be exhibited at the Dunwich museum.  

A dive of the site will take place later in the year.  

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/7187239.stm

Published: 2008/01/14 13:00:08 GMT

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