Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Cleeve Abbey is the remains of a Cistercian abbey, located next to the Washford River near to Old Cleeve, Somerset. The abbey was founded by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln in 1198. At the Dissolution, the site was granted to Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex. The church was demolished and the rest of the abbey converted into a mansion. By the 17th century it had become a farm. The site was acquired by the Crown in 1950 and major restoration undertaken. The site boasts some of the finest and best-preserved monks' living quarters still surviving in southern England. The buildings round the cloister are still roofed and habitable and many of the rooms retain their vaults. Among the most important preserved rooms are the chapter house, the refectory with its magnificent arch braced wooden vault and the painted chamber. Much of the abbey's mediæval tiled flooring remains. The abbey gatehouse, moat and fishponds all survive. The site is now in the care of English Heritage. It is within the council area of Somerset.
Historic England Grade I Listed 1057579.

Place Type: Ecclesiastical Monument
Historic County: Somerset
Lat, Long: 51.156538,-3.3632521
Grid Reference: ST 0475 4058
Civil Parish: Old Cleeve CP
Council Area: Somerset CA
Police Area: Avon and Somerset PA

GBPN ID: 300919
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Cleeve_Abbey,_Somerset_300919

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