The Abbey Church

Croxden Abbey church was once a fine example of Cistercian architecture, at once austere and imposing.

The nave of the church viewed from the west end as it looked in the 13th century. The nave of the church viewed from the west end as it looked in the 13th century. The stalls were used by the lay brothers; the monks would have sat in the choir behind the rood screen in the centre of the picture. The impressive stone vaults of the east end of the church are also clearly visible. Drawing by Jill Atherton © English Heritage It took more than 30 years to complete and was altered a number of times. The nave wall was part of the earliest structure of the abbey, probably started before the monks actually arrived in 1179. The magnificent west front was not started for another 15 or 20 years.

Following the suppression of the abbey in 1538, the roof of the church was removed by order of Henry VIII to prevent the monks from using it. When a farm was established, the cloister became a yard and a track was cut across the church. The ruins were taken into state guardianship in 1936 and restored.

The church was at the centre of monastic life, where the monks celebrated Divine Office, a series of eight services held every day and night. Their stalls occupied the choir, the area under the central tower (behind the screen in the reconstruction drawing). The rest of the nave was for the lay brothers or conversi, who were effectively servants living under a religious rule. They attended fewer services than the choir monks.

The Abbey Church

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