Roche Abbey is the ruins of a Cistercian monastary that dates from the mid-1100s, but very little records of the abbey exist today. The monks that formed the abbey came from Northumberland, and the abbey was dedicated to Virgin Mary. It probably supported a community of about 150, but only a handful were in place in the year that the monastaries were dissolved. The dwindling number of monks that lived in its later stage of occupation was probably one reason why it fell into ruin. The other was because the locals laid claim to the abbey and removed the timber, lead, stone, and other items after the dissolution; sadly, most of it was deliberately damaged or destroyed. A couple of impressive walls of the abbey remain in addition to a couple of bridges over the stream through the site, and the site was landscaped by 'Capability' Brown. Today, legends surround the abbey; it was used in the fictional Robin Hood story, is home to a few ghosts, and is rumoured to contain hidden tunnels.
In the 1700s, the private owner hired Capability Brown to landscape the grounds. Unfortunately, this caused some damage to the site as some of the buildings were town down and large earth mounds and turf were brought in for the landscaped gardens. The site remained buried until the 1920s. The ground that had been built up over the ruins did protect them.
The site is managed by English Heritage, and the remains of a gatehouse can be seen upon entering the grounds. The abbey itself is located down a single-lane cobblestone roadway for about a mile, winding down a hill. There is a public footpath near the abbey, and apparently it has some nice views over the abbey, but I did not walk on the trail.
The stream on the site was dammed higher upstream to ensure faster-flowing water over the latrines and through the grounds. This was quite an innovation in that time.
The walls of the early Gothic transcepts of the abbey still stand at their original height, and this was one of the best examples of early Gothic architecture in the U.K.
Overall, the abbey was a nice ruin to visit, especially on a sunny day. Visitors can easily make out where the buildings were located and enjoy quiet time here.
Leave a comment