The 1535 Progress: Abingdon Abbey, Oxfordshire

I wrote to you that you should provide crimson velvet for three countesses. The King’s pleasure now is that no robes of estate shall be now made but only for my wife. I send you the pattern. Garter must be at Abingdon on Saturday. Langley, 21 Aug.
Duke of Norfolk to Thomas Cromwell.

On 14 July 1535, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn made the ten-mile journey from Ewelme to Abingdon en route to Langley. This was not the first time that the couple had relied on the hospitality of this great monastic house, as they had spent time there in late August 1532.

We can imagine the royal party approaching the town across Abingdon Bridge, which would have offered them a good view of the spire of the nearby late medieval St Helen’s Church, which still dominates the town’s skyline. They may also have been able to glimpse the towers of the Abbey Church from the causeway.

Abbot Thomas Rowland would have received his royal guests with great pomp and ceremony and accommodated them in the abbot’s house, a large mansion with sumptuous guest chambers, halls, offices and its own kitchen. Although nothing today survives of this once grand establishment, a few buildings remain that Anne would have seen.

Touring the Abbey Remains  

The main abbey gateway was rebuilt in c. 1450 and is still standing. When facing the gateway, St Nicholas Church, initially constructed in 1184 for the abbey’s servants and lay tenants, stands on the left and the former St John’s Hospital, founded in the twelfth century as a lay infirmary, on the right. The latter was built in c. 1130 and is one of the oldest buildings in Abingdon. After the dissolution, the old hospital ward became a courtroom and is still used by the Magistrates Court today. The old Abbey Grammar School, refounded by John Roysee in 1563, used part of the site until it moved to its present place adjacent to Albert Park in 1870. Anne would have seen these buildings as she approached the gateway.

As you walk through the gateway, pause beneath the central arch and imagine Anne and Henry riding in, followed by their large, eye-catching retinue. Heavy wooden doors, which have long disappeared, would have secured the gateway; you can still see one of the original hinges.

You now emerge into what was once Little Court. From here, abbey visitors could proceed via gatehouses to the base and inner courts. The latter was where the abbot’s lodgings once stood.

Continue along the path to the Victorian round garden. In the open grass area beyond this site once rose the west end of the Norman church built by Abbot Faritius in the early twelfth century. By the sixteenth century, it is said to have resembled Wells Cathedral in Somerset. Although no remains are visible, its outline is marked out in stone on the grass. Look out for crosses on marble slabs, too, as they mark the probable locations of the high altar of the Norman church and an earlier Saxon church.

Locate the stone plinth that displays a plan of the medieval abbey. Note that to the south of the church were the cloisters around which all the other buildings were constructed. To the west of the cloister was the abbot’s hall and lodgings. It originally consisted of a parlour on the ground floor and a chamber and chapel above it. It was later extended into the large house described above, where important guests, like Henry and Anne, were entertained.

As you stand at the plinth, the ruins on your right occupy the site of the abbot’s house where Anne stayed; however, they are not ruins of the abbey. A former owner, Mr Trendell, built these picturesque remains out of pieces of stone and coffins he found when laying the gardens in the mid-nineteenth century. He added pillars and windows sourced from local churches undergoing restoration and, with the various building materials, created a ‘folly’.

The Domestic Buildings of Abingdon Abbey

A second group of buildings that stood in Anne’s time is located nearby, on Thames Street, by the Millstream. They comprise the bakehouse, The Checker Hall, and the long gallery. These were all part of the domestic buildings around the base court of the abbey and were accessed via a gatehouse near the west end of the street.

What was originally part of the monastic bakehouse is now the office of the Friends of Abingdon, the group responsible for saving these ancient buildings from demolition, restoring and maintaining them.

The Checker Hall was described in 1554 as the ‘Granatory or Garner’, suggesting that it may have been the residence of the granator or his granary. It was initially connected to the mill via a loft over the gateway, and before the dissolution, it may have also been used as accommodation. Today, it houses an Elizabethan-style stage and is home to the Unicorn Theatre. Be sure to visit the small paved court to the north of The Checker Hall, as this is the best place to see the Checker chimney, which is said to be one of the finest thirteenth-century chimneys in England. 

An internal stone staircase from the Checker Hall leads into the upper chamber of the checker, once the business centre of the abbey. The Checker undercroft is a fine vaulted chamber that was probably used as a wine cellar around the time of Anne’s visit. Undoubtedly, the staff were kept very busy!

The superb partly stone, partly timber-framed Long Gallery was built in the late fifteenth century, and its layout has been altered many times since then. The space was originally partitioned and thought to have been used to house guests or visiting clerks. Keep an eye out for an Elizabethan wall painting on the plaster above one of the crossbeams, a sure sign that its inhabitants were relatively prosperous at one time.

The Demise of Abingdon Abbey

When Henry VIII decided to suppress the monasteries, Abingdon Abbey­—one of the wealthiest Benedictine abbeys in England— surrendered ‘voluntarily’. Henry considered converting some of the buildings into a royal house. Still, after Sir Richard Rich of Leez Priory surveyed the vast complex of buildings, courtyards and gardens, he wrote to Cromwell saying that he wished him to:

Signify to the King’s Majesty that the most part of the houses of office therof be much in ruin and decay except the church… and as concerning the abbot’s lodgings, I think it is not like for an habitation of the King’s Majesty, unless his Highness will expend great treasure.

Within a few weeks, a team of thirty-two men arrived to remove the lead and stone from the abbey church, and from there, the majority of the buildings were demolished.

Although not much remains of Abingdon Abbey today, the surviving buildings and ancient grounds hark back to much happier times when Abingdon was one of the greatest monasteries in England and Anne Boleyn, the king’s most beloved wife.

To listen to the podcast episode associated with this blog, click here.

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS THE OLD PALACE OF LANGLEY: CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE.

Visitor Information

The domestic abbey buildings are open from 1 May to the end of September from 2- 4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. The buildings are often used for private functions, so it is recommended that you call before visiting + 44 (0) 1235 525339 or visit The Friends of Abingdon Civic Society’s website for more information.

The Abbey Gardens are open to the public at all reasonable times.

Postcode for Abbey Close Car Park (Abbey Gardens): OX14 3JE and for the Abbey Buildings: OX14 3HZ.

Other Tudor Locations to Visit Nearby

Oxford (9 miles) This video details some surprising surviving Tudor treasures for you to see if you visit the city.