Exterior view of the imposing church building of the Abbey as seen from the West Range, Sunday 4th June 2023 (Author’s Collection).
According to the English Heritage website, Buildwas Abbey contains
“impressive ruins of a Cistercian Abbey, including its unusually unaltered 12th Century church, beautiful vaulted and tile-floored Chapter House, and recently re-opened Crypt Chapel”.
Here are those ruins, framed in some glorious sunshine at the beginning of a UK Summer, Sunday 4th June 2023.
I hope you enjoy this pictorial stroll back into the past.
Welcome to Buildwas Abbey! Here you will see the magnificent remains of the church, central tower, a view from the Cloisters onto the remaining ruins of the East Range containing the Chapter House and inside both the main Chapter House itself and the church.
“The Abbey’s Precinct” with (left to right) the East Range and the church.
The Church and Central Tower as seen from the West Range with a fellow visiting tourist currently standing in the middle of the Cloister.
The remarkable ceilings found within all of the East Range buildings.
The ceiling and interior of the Chapter House — Part 1.
The ceiling and interior of the Chapter House — Part 2.
The tiled flooring of the Chapter House.
The Chapter House.
View from the Cloister onto the main body of the church and the Abbey’s Central Tower.
The East Range as seen from the Cloister. “The Cloister was at the heart of the monastery. In the centre was an open space called a Garth. Around the edges of this were covered walkways providing access to the Abbey’s principal buildings”.
“Built between 1150 and 1190, the church was used by the monks and lay brothers for their communal worship of God”.
“The church is laid out like a cross, its four arms consisting of the Presbytery at the east end, and a long nave at the west end. The Main Altar was located in the Presbytery”.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this pictorial stroll, tell your friends! If you really enjoyed it, tell your enemies too! Anyway, here are my three most recently published articles that can be found within my “UK Travel” library:
