Buildwas Abbey
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Buildwas Abbey is located along the banks of the river Severn, about 2 miles west of Ironbridge, Shropshire.
Early History
The Cistercian Abbey of St Mary and St Chad was founded in 1135 by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Coventry (1129-1148) as a Savignac monastery and was inhabited by a small community of monks from Furness Abbey.
The abbey's location near the border of Wales meant it was destined to have a turbulent history. Welsh Princes and their followers regularly raided the Abbey, and on one occasion in 1406 raiders from Powys even kidnapped the abbot. This however paled in comparison to an event in 1342 where one of the Buildwas monks, Thomas Tong, murdered his abbot, managed to evade arrest and then petitioned for re-instatement into the Cistercian order.
Closure
The abbey was finally closed in 1536 by the order of Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, whereupon the estate was granted to Lord Powys.
Modern History
The abbots house and infirmary were later incorporated into the building of a private house, although the remaining buildings are now in the care of English Heritage and are open to the public, who can view the church which remains largely complete and unaltered since its original construction, although it is now without its roof.
The remains are considered to be among some of the best preserved twelfth-century examples of a Cistercian church in Britain.
