Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWinchcombe Abbey

Winchcombe Abbey

England
List entry 1019146
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1019146
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.52 hectares
Grid reference
SP 02268 28325
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Winchcombe Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in Gloucestershire in the tenth century, traditionally dated to around 980 under the patronage of Queen Ælfthryth. The abbey became one of the most significant religious houses in the Midlands during the medieval period, acquiring extensive lands and exercising considerable spiritual and temporal authority. The surviving remains include substantial stone masonry from various periods of medieval construction, though the site experienced significant destruction following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540. The visible architectural fragments demonstrate the abbey's former scale and importance, with elements of its claustral buildings and church structure still evident within the contemporary landscape of Winchcombe.

Winchcombe Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019146. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Winchcombe Abbey?

Winchcombe Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in Gloucestershire in the tenth century, traditionally dated to around 980 under the patronage of Queen Ælfthryth. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1019146.

Who is responsible for protecting Winchcombe Abbey?

Winchcombe Abbey 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 1019146.

What other scheduled monuments are near Winchcombe Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Churchyard cross in St Bartholomew's churchyard (7.7 km), Whittington moated site (7.8 km), Whittington Court Roman villa and old village (7.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Winchcombe Abbey

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Winchcombe Abbey's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Winchcombe Abbey

Winchcombe Abbey stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.