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Summary

The cloister and the other monastic buildings at Buckland Abbey are, unusually, on the northern side of the church rather than the south. This is due to the lie of the land. They are believed to have been demolished in the early 19th century. One wall remains.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018366: Buckland Abbey

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1141913
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX46NE/501/11
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 92646
• Old SAM Ref: 24846
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX46NE43
• Tide Project: 10/07/2020

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CLOISTER (Built, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Gaskell-Brown, C., 1986 - 1987, Buckland Abbey, Devon, 3 (Report - Survey). SDV242027.

Gibbons, P., 1994, 134699 (Un-published). SDV241967.

The cloister stood to the north of the church and was about 30 metres square, terraced into the natural ground slope. The south wall of the north range of the cloister acted as a retaining wall and has been incorporated into the later property boundary. The Medieval wall is some 30 metres in length and stands to a height of 3.3 metres. The 16 metre length forming the east half includes five blocked windows with wide splays on the inside. The north face of this section has an inset for a floor below the windows, and beneath that includes sections of six arches. It appears that due to the ground slope, access into this range from the cloister would have been, unusually, at first floor level. Excavations in 1984 on the north side of the west end of the wall revealed a complex sequence of Medieval activity in the form of floor levels and wall footings. No definitive interpretation of these features was possible. The north range would have contained the refectory and kitchens. In the traditional Cistercian layout the refectory was positioned with its long axis at right-angles to the north range so that it would have projected from the cloister. A Resistivity survey was undertaken in the cloister area in 1983.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998, Buckland Abbey (Schedule Document). SDV344044.

Buried features at Buckland Abbey include the claustral ranges. The cloister stood to the north of the church and would have contained the refectory (dining hall) and kitchens. In the traditional Cistercian layout the refectory was positioned with its long axis at right-angles to the north range so that it would have projected from the cloister. Some 20 metres north of the existing wall of the cloister is the Cider House, an extensively modernised dwelling which includes some Medieval features in its southern end. The position of this building suggests that it probably incorporates the northern end of the refectory. Other details: Monument 24846.

Nicholas Pearson Associates, 2001, Buckland Abbey: Historic Survey and Restoration Plan, App. 3 (Report - Survey). SDV241983.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 2001, SX46NE43 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV346347.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 1141913 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346348.

The remains of the cloister of Buckland Abbey. The cloister stood to the north of the abbey church and was about 30 metres square, terraced into the natural ground slope. The south wall of the north range of the cloister acted as a retaining wall and has been incorporated into the later property boundary. The medieval wall is some 30 metres in length and stands to a height of 3.3 metres. The 16 metres length forming the eastern half includes five blocked windows with wide splays on the inside. The north face of this section has an inset for a floor below the windows, and beneath that includes sections of six arches. It appears that due to the ground slope, access into this range from the cloister would have been, unusually, at first floor level. Excavations in 1984 on the north side of the west end of the wall revealed a complex sequence of medieval activity in the form of floor levels and wall footings. The north range would have contained the refectory and kitchens. The buried remains are Scheduled whilst the cloister wall is Listed Grade II.

English Heritage, 2011, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV346128.

Garden retaining wall running west-south-west to east-north-east approximately 35 metres north-west of Buckland Abbey was Listed on 26th January 1987. Garden retaining wall, originally formed part of the Abbey curtilage. Probably Medieval although the crenellation may date from a later period. Stone rubble. Irregular plan, probably truncated at either end; from the evidence of several arches and the original likely layout of the abbey buildings it seems probable that this wall formed the curtilage wall to the abbey church adjoining buildings. The stone arches are irregularly placed, of varying sizes and appear to be original. The leanto rubble buttresses are 20th century. Other details: LBS Number 92646.

Bullen, A., 2018, A souvenir guide. Buckland Abbey, Devon, 9, 45 (Monograph). SDV363761.

Unusually, given the lie of the land, the cloister and the other monastic buildings at Buckland Abbey are on the northern side of the church rather than the south. They are believed to have been demolished in the early 19th century.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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