Forde Abbey

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery founded in the mid-twelfth century in the parish of Axminster, Devon (historically within the wider region, though often associated with the Dorset border). The abbey was established around 1136 and developed as a significant religious house, with its surviving structures including the church, cloister ranges, and later domestic buildings representing various phases of medieval construction and subsequent alteration. The site passed into private ownership following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century, and the principal buildings were substantially modified and converted for residential use, notably during the seventeenth century when major remodelling occurred. Today Forde Abbey retains important medieval architectural elements alongside later additions, forming a complex of considerable historical and archaeological interest that reflects both its monastic past and subsequent occupation as a country house.

Forde Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002347. View the official record →

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