Visualising the ‘long Reformation’ - an archaeological discussion of virtual reality versus social space

Incorporating the notion of the ‘Long Reformation’ this research focuses upon an archaeology of time to acquire an improved understanding of the change in use and meaning of the post-Reformation monastic church. Through physical and spatial change, expressions can be seen of an emerging religious understanding that highlights contemporary conceptions of religious space from the medieval to the early modern period. It suggests that the meaning and use of a building should not conform to just one archaeological reading. Instead, through the use of virtual reality, the study of space should be seen as fluid – where time is re-incorporated back into meaning. Drawing upon Masinton’s (2008) pioneering research into the post-Reformation monastic church, this paper aims to utilise examples collated during the author’s own MA research. Using Old Malton Priory Church as a case-study, its intention is not to provide a rounded argument but to present alternative ways of thinking about the study of sacred space in the early modern period that has the potential to provoke future debates, new patterns of thought and archaeological practice.