RUFFORD ABBEY.

This blog about Rufford Abbey is a bit long but I thought it best to do it all at once instead of in two parts .Remains of a Cistercian monastery and later a country house in Rufford , Nottinghamshire, England, some two miles south of Ollerton. Rufford Abbey was founded in 1146 by Gilbert De Gant, Earl of Lincoln ( D. 1156 ). It was acquired by the Talbot's, Earls of Shrewsbury following the dissolution in 1536 and incorporated into a house. Acquired by the Savile family in 1626, it remained in their ownership until the mid-20th century. It was partially demolished in 1956 but the medieval part of the building and the adjacent kitchen wing were preserved. The abbey is in the guardianship of English Heritage. It is a grade I listed and scheduled as an ancient monument.

A FINE COUNTRY HOUSE.

 

The abbey at Rufford was converted into a country house after its suppression in 1536. This house was then substantially altered in the 17th and 19th centuries to create a grand mansion. George Savile remodelled the house drastically in 1678 - 80 pulling down the remains of the monastery. He built a large north wing, which stood on the site of the Abbey Church. The next remodelling of the house occurred in 1837. John Lumley - Savile, the 8th Earl of Scarborough, commissioned the fashionable architect Anthony Salvin to renovate the house. The clock tower on the left side of the house is from this period. George Savile ( 1633 - 1695 ) the first Marquess of Halifax, was one of the leading politicians of his day. He was very fond of Rufford Abbey and made it his main residence. The house itself is constructed of rubble, brick, dressed stone and ashlar with ashlar dressings and plain roof tiles.



 

 

Plan showing the layout as it was and what is now left.

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This would have been the front of the mansion.

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The rear of the mansion looking towards the porch.

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The bell tower.

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THE NIGHT STAIRS.

 

These stairs led down from the lay brothers dormitory allowing easy access to the west end of the abbey church for services.

 

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This is where the butlers pantry would have been.

 

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Looking along the brick hall, at the bottom end of this wall is where the library would have been.

 

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Looking through the porch window towards the business room.

 

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Above the porch entrance.

 

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THE CARVED CORBELS.

 

These stones supported the ceiling beams. The ones you see here today are modern copies of the originals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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