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Waverley Abbey
Travel Information and nearby accommodation
Waverley Abbey was the very first Cistercian Abbey established in England, under the patronage of William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester. The monastery was founded in 1128, and partial remains of the abbey church and a range of monastic buildings still stand in an attractive setting beside the River Wey.
Of particular interest is the lay brother's range, which features two long, arched aisles supported by slender columns.
The Cistercian way of life emphasized manual labour and simplicity, though it helped that they used lay brothers to work their land. The order proved extremely popular in England, and many of the finest and most powerful medieval monasteries were Cistercian.
Within a century Waverley grew to be home to 70 brothers and 130 lay brothers. The abbey was damaged by floods in 1201, and a much larger church built beginning in 1203. The church was not completed until 1278. Most of the surviving monastic buildings date from the period of this 13th century rebuilding.
Among these buildings are the lay brothers frater, monks dorter, vaulter cellerar's building, monk's parlour, chapter house, and parts of the nave, presbytery and transepts of the abbey church.
The sitye is bounded by the river to the south and east, and by a precinct wall to the north. Surrounding the site are remains of the earthworks, abbey fishponds, and ridge and furrow field systems.
Waverley was never very well endowed, and it was in the first wave of monasteries to be dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536. Stones from the abbey were used for local building projects, including Waverley Abbey House, a grand country house built by Sir John Aislabie, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 1723.
The atmospheric remains inspired Sir Walter Scott to write his novel Waverley.
Farnham,
Surrey,
England
About Waverley Abbey
Attraction Type: Abbey
Location: On the B3001 3 miles south of Farnham. Open at any reasonable daylight hour, year round.
Website: Waverley Abbey
English Heritage
Location
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OS SU866453
Nearest Accommodation to Waverley Abbey
Nearest Self Catering Cottages |
 The Coach House -
6.3
miles from Waverley Abbey
Kingsley, Hampshire
Sleeps: 2
Stay from: £275 |
 Minster Cottage -
7
miles from Waverley Abbey
Boscastle, Cornwall
Sleeps: 8
Stay from: £295 |
 No 6 The Courtyard (First Floor) -
20.5
miles from Waverley Abbey
Windsor, Berkshire
Sleeps: 4
Stay from: £495 |
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Nearest Tourist
Information Centre
Aldershot
Tourist Information Centre
Prince's Gardens
2a High Street
Aldershot
Hampshire
England
GU11 1BJ
Tel: 01252 320 968
Alternate Tel: 01252 311 474
Fax: 01252 311 479
Email: mail@rushmoorvic.com
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