Haughmond Abbey

In  2002, English Heritage's Landscape Investigation Team began a detailed survey of Haughmond Abbey in   Shropshire, which was founded in about 1100 AD. Our new research, which was requested by our colleagues in English Heritage's Conservation Team,  focussed not on the ruined buildings, which have been studied in the past, but on earthworks in the surrounding fields which have only recently been recognised and were at first not understood at all. We have been able to trace the line of the boundary wall of the monastic precinct and have discovered the site of the gatehouse, whose foundations are now detectable as a rectangular mound in the grass.

 Equally importantly, it is also clear that the ruins of the abbey were incorporated into the design of a grand garden laid out in the 18th century for nearby Sundorne House, built in the 1740s and demolished in 1955. Many landowners made an effort to incorporate the picturesque ruins of abbeys into their gardens: the effects of these later changes on what we see today are sometimes overlooked. At Haughmond Abbey, the management of water on a grand scale seems to have been an important aspect of the post-medieval ornamental landscape, just as it was to the monastery. In the mid-18th century, a massive earthen dam was built to retain a vast lake that would have mirrored the ruins of the abbey as guests staying at Sundorne Castle toured the grounds in their carriages.

The new discoveries and advances in understanding are available in time to set the scene for a book to be published in  2004, which will present the results of a campaign of small-scale excavations carried out in the 1970s. The ruins of Haughmond Abbey are looked after by English Heritage and are open to the public, for information on opening times etc. please click here.

To get details of the full report, click here. For further details about our investigation, contact the Search Room of English Heritage's public archive, the National Monuments Record, on 01793 414700 or e-mail: customers@english-heritage.org.uk.