Name: Haughmond Abbey
Rating: 5.0

Haughmond Abbey

Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, UK

1-99 Years

Paid

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Description

Haughmond Abbey is located on a lane off the B5062. There are steps connecting different levels of the ruins and the ground may be uneven in places. The extensive remains of an Augustinian abbey, including its abbots’ quarters, refectory and cloister.

The substantially surviving chapter house has a frontage richly bedecked with 12th- and 14th-century carving and statuary, and a fine timber roof of around 1500. Don’t miss the chance to take great photos, explore interpretation panels around the site, and relax in the peaceful picnic area by the ruins.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Haughmond Abbey: Over the course of the 12th century, a small religious community at Haughmond was transformed into a great Augustinian monastery, where a community of canons lived with their servants. These priest-monks lived apart from ordinary society, but they also gave food and shelter to the sick and poor, and supported a local nunnery. Wealthy benefactors helped Haughmond become one of the finest medieval abbeys in Shropshire.
After the abbey’s closure in 1539, parts of its buildings were converted into a Tudor mansion, and later the ruined monastery became a feature of the landscape garden of nearby Sundorne House.
Beginnings: Haughmond was founded as a small chapel or hermitage on a wooded hill to the east of Shrewsbury in about 1100. It was paid for by the sheriff of Shropshire, probably Warin the Bald or one of his successors.
Augustinian canons: Augustinian canons played a very important part in the revival and reform of monasticism in the 11th century, reaching England in the 12th century.
A great abbey: Monasteries needed the financial backing of wealthy patrons, and at Haughmond successive generations of the local FitzAlan family supported the monastery over two or three centuries. This was a mutually beneficial relationship: the FitzAlans’ sponsorship allowed the abbots to invest in new buildings and, in turn, the family gained prestige as patrons of the monastery and were allowed to bury family members in the church and cloister.
The Chapter House Saints: Sculptures, paintings and other religious imagery were an important way for medieval people to experience religion. In the 14th century the canons added eight sculptures of saints to the front of their chapter house. They, and important visitors, could read the symbols on the sculptures to identify the saints.
Burial at Haughmond Abbey: The original churchyard, where the canons were buried, lay at the west end of the first church. It was moved further west as the church was enlarged in the 12th century.
After the Dissolution: In 1539 the abbey was closed during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. The canons lost their roles and their home, but received state pensions, and could seek work as church priests.
Excavation and investigation: The abbey is one of the best understood monastic houses in England, thanks to a long history of archaeological excavation and research. After some small excavations for the Corbet family in the 19th century, William St John Hope and Harold Brakspear excavated the site extensively in 1906–7, largely paid for by public subscription in Shropshire.

Facilities

Parking: Free parking is available for approximately 15 cars, located down a bumpy lane.
Food & Drinks: There are a wide variety of facilities, shops, restaurants and cafes in the nearby market town of Shrewsbury.

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Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Free Entry.

Pricing URL: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/haughmond-abbey/prices-and-opening-times/

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open Daily: April to October - 10am-6pm & November to March - 10am-4pm.

Address: Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, UK

Post Code: SY4 4RW

Council: Shropshire

County: Shropshire

Road Access: Located 3 miles north-east of Shrewsbury off B5062.
Bus Access: Arriva 519 Shrewsbury – Newport.
Train Access: Shrewsbury 3 1⁄2 miles.
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.
Parking: Free parking is available for approximately 15 cars, located down a bumpy lane.