Abbotsbury - Village

Abbotsbury is very pretty with many old, stone houses and a number of notable buildings. We stop off on our way to the Swannery.

What became Abbotsbury Abbey was originally established in the 11th century as the Benedictine St Peter's Monastery. It was large and self-sufficient with all its needs met by its market garden produce and swans from its nearby Swannery. As it grew, the Abbotsbury Abbey Tithe Barn was built around 1400 to store its supplies (it is the world's largest tithe barn), as were St Catherine's Chapel, used by the monks for private prayer, and the Parish Church of St Nicholas. The Abbey was destroyed by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 ; only one small section of the wall plus an entrance gate, both close to the Church, remain.Read more