Why did early Christian men want to live in secluded communities? What made these early monasteries successful and how did they spread over the Middle East to Europe? After surviving and thriving for well over five hundred years, why were the monasteries in England and Wales all closed down? And what happened to these properties afterwards? Before they were closed, monasteries were not just vital and thriving centres of spiritual worship; they were also practically rooted in their communities, places of employment, education, welfare and culture. The dissolution of the monasteries was a change of almost unrivalled magnitude. It is easy to be distracted by the lure of the behaviour of King Henry VIII and the high politics of the Reformation and forget what was going on for ordinary people. The closure of more than eight hundred religious houses saw a massive transfer of property, which reshaped Wales and England's socioeconomic landscape. While it enriched the Crown and the nobility, it also led to increased poverty and the loss of social services previously provided by the monasteries. Come with me on a journey through the stories of some of the people who were, and for some, still are, associated with the monasteries. AUTHOR: Phil is a member of the congregation of Ipswich Minster and has gained a doctorate with a first. He is a well-renowned historian, researcher, lecturer and author and is an extremely popular BBC Radio guest, speaking about the Tudors and the present British Royal Family. His other books, Cardinal Wolsey For King and Country, Whitehall Palace and The Mary Rose in a Nutshell, have been a huge success. Phil has pioneered the resurgence of interest in Tudor history in his enthusiastic keynote talks. He has written numerous papers online for academics around the world in the fields of nautical studies, maritime archaeology, oceanography and Medieval/Tudor warfare. Phil has been a lecturer for the Mary Rose Trust since 2002 and has also re-enacted in the museum, in Italy and other renowned historical and religious places portraying Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and other Tudor Gentry. He has also worked for the NHS as a qualified ambulance crew member. Phil lives in a quaint historical town in Suffolk. 30 b/w illustrations