Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Furness Abbey is a former monastery at Barrow-in-Furness in of Lancashire. The abbey was once the second-wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country, behind Fountains Abbey, prior to its dissolution during the English Reformation of the 1530s. It was founded in 1123 by Stephen, later the King of England. Located in the 'Vale of Nightshade', south of Dalton-in-Furness, the abbey is built entirely out of local sandstone. It passed in 1147 to the Cistercians, who gradually enlarged and rebuilt the original ornate church. The majority of the current ruins date from the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th century it had been completely remodelled. The Gothic-style monastery and its adjacent structures cover an expansive area of land and reach a maximum height of 131ft. above ground level. The Abbey is mentioned in the poem 'The Prelude' by William Wordsworth, and J M W Turner made a number of etchings of the Abbey. The Abbey has also hosted a number of large-scale mystery plays. It contains a number of individual Grade I Listed Buildings and is a Scheduled Monument. It is within the council area of Westmorland and Furness.
Historic England Grade I Listed 1197906.

Place Type: Ecclesiastical Monument
Historic County: Lancashire
Lat, Long: 54.135633,-3.198756
Grid Reference: SD 2177 7175
Council Area: Westmorland and Furness CA
Police Area: Cumbria PA

GBPN ID: 301949
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Furness_Abbey,_Lancashire_301949

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