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Sawley Cistercian Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery founded in 1147 in the valley of the River Aire near Colne in Lancashire (historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire). The abbey was established as a daughter house of Fountains Abbey and became one of the significant monastic communities of northern England, operating until its dissolution in 1536 during the Reformation. The surviving remains include substantial earthworks and fragmentary stone structures that reveal the layout of the monastic precinct, including evidence of the cloister, domestic buildings, and water management systems characteristic of Cistercian settlements. The site preserves important archaeological information about medieval monastic life and the prosperity of the Cistercian order in the Pennine region during the twelfth to sixteenth centuries.
Sawley Cistercian abbey and associated earthworks is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015492. View the official record →
Sawley Cistercian Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery founded in 1147 in the valley of the River Aire near Colne in Lancashire (historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire). It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015492.
Sawley Cistercian abbey and associated earthworks is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1015492.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Downham lime kiln and associated lime yard 50m north of Smithfield Farm (2.2 km), Moated site 50m NE of Holden Green Farm. (3.1 km), Bellmanpark lime kilns and part of an associated tramway 180m north west of Bellman Farm (3.6 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Sawley Cistercian abbey and associated earthworks