THE FRIARY, ALNMOUTH, by Patricia Jones, John and Stephanie Yearnshire. Available from outlets in Alnmouth, the Bailiffgate Museum, Alnwick, and St Francis Friary. £4. Softback.

THIS brief illustrated history of the Friary of St Francis begins by telling the story of Lint Close, a grand Edwardian house built in Alnmouth between 1902 and 1916 by shipping magnate Arthur Scholefield.

While still in his family’s ownership, the 30-room house overlooking Alnmouth beach was used to accommodate evacuees and as a canteen for soldiers during the Second World War. Purchased by the Society of St Francis, the house was opened as a friary in August 1961. Today it is the home of seven Franciscan brothers who run and maintain the house and gardens, and provide a resource for parishes, lay groups and individuals to use it for conferences, retreats, holidays and a space for spiritual refreshment and renewal.v