Forde Abbey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Forde Abbey |
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Forde Abbey
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Chard, Somerset |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°50′27″N 2°54′36″W / 50.84083°N 2.91000°W |
| Completed | 12th century |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 4 December 1951 |
| Reference no. | 1153362 |
Forde Abbey is a beautiful old building in Dorset, England. It used to be a Cistercian monastery, which is a place where monks lived and prayed. Today, it's a private home, but its amazing house and gardens are open for visitors to explore. The land around it, about 1,600 acres, is still farmed. Forde Abbey is a very important historical building, listed as Grade I.
Contents
The Story of Forde Abbey
How the Abbey Began
Forde Abbey started a long, long time ago, between 1133 and 1136. A rich nobleman named Richard de Brioniis built a small monastery, called a priory, on his land. He invited 12 monks from another monastery, Waverley Abbey, to live there.
But the land wasn't very good for farming. So, in 1141, Richard's sister, Adelicia, offered the monks a new, better place. This new spot was near the River Axe. The monks built their new priory here between 1141 and 1148. Because it was near an old river crossing, it became known as "Ford." The monastery was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Famous Monks and Growth
One important monk was John of Ford. He was the head of Forde Abbey from 1191 to 1214. He was even a friend of King John! The monastery grew very rich and owned a huge amount of land, more than 30,000 acres, by the 1300s.
Another famous person connected to Forde Abbey was Abbot Baldwin of Forde. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury, a very important church leader.
The End of the Monastery
In 1539, during a time called the dissolution of the monasteries, King Henry VIII closed down many monasteries in England. Abbot Chard, the last abbot of Forde, gave the abbey to the King peacefully.
After that, the abbey buildings and land were rented out. Later, in 1649, a man named Edmund Prideaux bought Forde Abbey. He was a lawyer and supported the Parliament during the English Civil War. He made a lot of money and turned the old monastery into his private home. He added some fancy features to make it more like a grand house.
New Owners and Changes
For about 70 years, the Rosewell family owned Forde Abbey. Then, Edmund Prideaux bought it. The house stayed mostly the same during the 1700s, but the beautiful gardens were created then.
In 1815, a famous thinker named Jeremy Bentham rented the house. Over the 1800s, Forde Abbey had several different owners. Some didn't take good care of it, while others tried to fix it up.
Finally, in 1905, the Roper family inherited the house. Their family still owns and lives in Forde Abbey today, and they have worked hard to keep it special.
The House and Gardens Today
Inside the Abbey
After the monastery closed, much of the original church was taken down. Only two statues from the old church have been found, and you can see them in the Great Hall.
Some parts of the house today were once part of the monastery. These include:
- The Great Hall
- The north side of the old cloisters (a covered walkway)
- The monks' living areas
- The Upper Refectory (where monks ate)
- The Undercroft (the abbey's working area)
- The Chapter House, which is now a chapel.
Other rooms have been changed over time and don't look like their original monastery uses. When Edmund Prideaux bought the abbey, he added new bedrooms and a reception area to make it a comfortable home.
Exploring the Gardens
The gardens at Forde Abbey are one of its biggest attractions! They are considered a "historically important garden" and are listed as Grade II*. The Roper family has done a lot to keep them beautiful and add new features.
The gardens cover about 30 acres and have many water features, colorful plants, and an arboretum (a collection of different trees). The large lawns in front of the house were created in the 1700s, and many trees were planted in the 1800s.
The Great Pond was originally used to power a watermill. Now, it feeds a series of small waterfalls that flow down to three smaller ponds. These ponds were part of the gardens designed in the 1700s. Next to the Great Pond, you'll find the Beech House. This cool structure is made entirely from beech hedges! It was built in the 1930s as a secret spot to watch birds by the pond. There's also a Bog Garden nearby.
In the second largest pond, called the Mermaid Pond, the Roper family added the Centenary Fountain in 2005. This was to celebrate 100 years of their family owning Forde Abbey. It's said to be the highest powered fountain in England, shooting water up to 160 feet high! Closer to the house, around the Long Pond, there are many flowering plants that make the gardens very colorful in the summer.
Behind the house, there's an old Victorian walled kitchen garden. It used to grow food for the house. Today, it's mostly used as a nursery to grow plants that visitors can buy.
