Built to expiate two murders



Syon Monastery of the Order of St Augustine was founded by Henry V in 1414 and built on ground in his manor of Isleworth Syon, on the boundary of the parish of Twickenham. It was one of three which Henry's father, Henry IV had undertaken to build in expiation for his connivance with the murder of Richard II and Archbishop Scrope.



One of the richest monasteries in England



In the royal charter it was named "The Monastery of St Saviour and St Bridget of Syon" and it was first built near where Twickenham Bridge crosses the Thames today. The Order of the most Holy Saviour, more commonly known as the Bridgettine Order, was founded in 1377 by Queen Brigitta or Bridget of Sweden, the great Swedish mystic, later canonized.



The dimensions of the land described in the original charter approximate to about 53 modern acres. In addition, the monastery was endowed with the annual sum of 1000 marks until such time as the revenues from property and land produced an equivalent income. In fact the monastery became one of the richest in England.