Cleeve Abbey
Entry posted by Animedragon in General
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Cleeve Abbey is a medieval monastery near the village of Washford in Somerset and was founded in 1198 by William de Roumare with monks from Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire of the austere Cistercian order.
The abbey was not among the more distinguished abbeys of the Cistercian order and suffered from poor governance and financial troubles. Although towards the end of its existence its fortunes, and living standards, had improved. A fact demonstrated by the expensive high status tiled flooring it had gained by then, some of which has amazingly managed to survive.
The abbey church took several decades to construct and was of a conservative cruciform design with a aisled nave with seven bays, the transepts each had two side chapels. To the south of the abbey church a cloister was built surrounded by the domestic buildings.
The abbey grounds were defended by a water filled moat and a gatehouse.
The abbey was closed in 1536 by Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbey church was demolished so it could no longer be used as a place of worship but unusually the rest of the monastic buildings were left untouched and became a private house and passed though several owners one of whom was Robert Radcliffe the 1st Earl of Sussex who was granted the house in 1538 by the King. Cleeve declined in importance and by the early 17th century had become a farm and was extended by the construction of a farmhouse. In the 1860's the abbey was acquired by the Luttrell family of Dunster and George Luttrell began repairs to arrest the decay of the buildings at this time the site ceased to be used as a farm and was divided up into three rented cottages. Excavations on the site by George Luttrell in the 1870's supervised by the archaeologist CH Sampson traced the extent of the abbey church and discovered evidence of other buildings and features.
Today Cleeve Abbey is one of the best preserved medieval Cistercian monastic sites in the country. Several of the buildings not only survived but survived surprisingly intact and are still habitable including the gatehouse, the 15th century refectory with its impressive roof, while the dormitory is one of the finest examples in the country.
The abbey is now in the care of English Heritage and is a Grade 1 listed building and scheduled ancient monument.
The Gatehouse where charity in the form of food, clothing or money was distributed.
The arch on the left led to the Chapter House, the stairway led up to the monk's dormitory on the floor above. The top floor of the building on the right was the refectory.
Inside the monk's dormitory.
The amazing carved ceiling of the refectory. (an incredible survivor considering that this room was used for storage when the buildings were used as a farm)
A closer look at one of the carved figures.
All that's left of the Abbey church are the bases of the pillars of the nave.
The Chapter House once stood between where the ruined walls are. The room with the round window was the Sacristy. The dormitory occupied the whole of the upper floor. The door on the far right was the night stair from the dormitory to the church so the monks didn't have to go outside on cold evenings. On the left of the ruined wall was the Warming Room where a fire was lit in the winter months so the monks could come in from the cloister and warm themselves.
The 13th century tiled floor in the original refectory, an amazing survivor.
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