Can I Play With Madness?

Eddie the head - Iron Maiden 'Can I Play With Madness', EMI Records, 1988

I’ll admit, there is one particular reason above all else why I wanted to visit this place. In 1988 Iron Maiden released the video for the single ‘Can I Play with Madness’ from their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. The video featured – to spoil it for all of you - a rather domineering art teacher falling down a hole and stumbling through a warren of caves. It should make you ask 3 things: 1. Is that Graham Chapman from Monty Python? (Yes) 2. Why doesn’t Eddie appear in my fridge and offer his womb? (Best unanswered) 3. Where did they film that bit with cloud Eddie? (Read on…)

As a ruin, Tintern is impressive from the outset. A colossal remains of the church Abbey dominate the scene. However, rather than imposing itself upon the landscape like other abbeys (such as Whitby) you don’t really get your first glimpse of it until you are well into Tintern village itself. Resting on one of the many kinks in the River Wye, the roads leading to Tintern handrail the river with the occasional bridge to take you across the English/Welsh border, meaning that the abbey doesn’t appear in the distance or in your view until your there. From there it’s hard to miss!

When you visit, you may find yourself draw straight into the church – the admission/shop is positioned to the north so you have to go through all the attached abbey buildings first to enter the church – as it’s best to continue the buzz from standing and staring up at the big face of the fronts. The Crossing (the centre of the cross of the church) is the best place to get a true appreciation for the size of the abbey. All four sides of the church stretch out from here, while the walls rise up into nothing but sky. Cold stone morphs into stone shaded cloud. The four faces and every window appear to stare out with stunned expression. Peak gothic. It is hard to envision but the church would have been subdivided into different sections within this space. Although the apparatus and icons of Christianity have long since gone, you can regain a sense of these sections by stepping away from the crossing, either into one of the wings or past the many arches that still remain.

I visited the abbey on a fairly grey December day, the crisp cold air and uniform grey sky all fed in to the scene enhanced by the stone skeleton of the abbey. Each face of the abbey towers into the sky. The shells of the window frames appear aghast (or sing, depending on your inclination), panes and stained glass long gone. This is pure, original, unadulterated gothic – which is why it is more than right to stick on some heavy metal on your headphones while you wander around, or explore in absolute silence (there is no in-between). It is the Western Front of the church that is the most iconic section of the Abbey, and the one featured in Iron Maiden’s video. This is best viewed from inside the abbey, though you’ll need to take a moment outside the perimeter to admire it also. The car Park for The Anchor Tea Rooms is a great spot to do this as well as check out some further excavation work before you enter/after you leave the abbey.

Scream for me Tintern!

Of the rest of the abbey structures, most have been greatly deconstructed. You’re likely to find much of the original stones recycled into the buildings of the local area. However areas such as the Cloister, Infirmary and Kitchens are clearly defined and a few interpretation panels help to contextualise.

Back towards the shop, a tent housed a collection of masonry recovered from excavations. Overall I have been here around an hour, on this trip I was making my way to Swindon from Hereford, but had another stop to make on the way. Chepstow Castle.

Top Tip: Stay somewhere nearby to explore the Wye Valley. There is a lot of historical places to explore around here including Monmouth, Chepstow and Offa’s Dyke.

Best Avoid: Falling down holes in the Abbey.

Guidebook optional, but recommended