| Summary : The site of Leiston Abbey comprises the standing and buried remains of a monastic church and conventual buildings, together with adjacent earthworks and water control features, and a moated site. It was founded in 1182 on a site nearby, but moved here sometime after 1363 as the original location was prone to flooding. In 1380 or 1389 the new buildings, with the exception of the church, were extensively damaged by fire.The abbey buildings were constructed of flint rubble and mortar, but also contain local mudstone, reused limestone and brick. The remains of the church lie north of the claustral range. Today, the north chapel at the east end of the church is still in use. In the post-medieval period the outer walls of the south aisle and the eastern part of the north aisle were incorporated into buildings. In the 17th century, Abbey House was built on to the south aisle wall and later extended in the 19th and 20th centuries.The main entry to the cloister is a passage through the west range, fronted by a porch dated to the late 15th or early 16th century. This west range probably contained the abbot's apartments and perhaps guest accommodation as well as an undercroft. The south range is the best preserved of the three. It includes the remains of an undercroft, refectory, monastic kitchen and washing place. The undercroft was altered in the late 14th century. The east range comprised the dormitory, chapter house, a possible sacristy, the warming house and latrine. To the east and north east are the buried remains of a possible infirmary and gatehouse as well as a ditch. To the north west are two buildings which are partly of monastic date surrounded on three sides by a ditch considered to be a moat, possibly predating the construction of the abbey. There are also two ponds thought to either be part of another moat or monastic fish ponds. The abbey was suppressed in by Henry VIII 1536 and in 1537 was granted to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. |
More information : [TM 44486416] Remains of [NAT] Leiston Abbey [NR]
(Premonstratensian Founded AD 1183) (1)
The first house of the Premonstatensian Canons was founded in 1182 (2) nearer to the sea but was rebuilt on this site in 1363. Parts of the buildings were rebuilt after a fire in 1389 (3). The Abbey was dissolved in 1537 (2). (2-3)
Extensive and impressive remains of the Abbey are well maintained and under the care of the Minisrty of Works. Major restoration is at present under way and modern buildings, formerly attached to the early walling, have been demolished. Domestic buildings are in use as a retreat and conference house for St Edmundsbury & Ipswich and the original Lady Chapel has been restored for occasional worship.
See photographs.
St. Mary's Abbey , Leiston , founded in 1182, Listed Grade I. (4)
TM 445642. Leiston Abbey - scheduled. Scheduled area extended
to include the remains to the North and West of the church at present under the visitor's car park, barns and outbuildings and earthwork remains in the surrounding fields. (5)
The remains of the buildings of Leiston Abbey are as described.See ground photographs. In the pasture field to the west and around farm buildings to the North West are earthworks, consisting of (a) two scarps c0.8m. high which run almost E to W and end on a shallow ditch running N to S, forming two level platforms measuring 48.0 by 46.0m. and 46.0 by 36.0m. respectively. A break in the northern scarp leads into the southerly platform.
(b) Immediately to the north, around the farm buildings, three arms of a probable moat survive as dry ditches averaging 1.0m. deep by 8.0m. wide. There is no trace of the east side and the south arm terminates in a pond at its east end. There is a break in the west side but whether or not this is original cannot be ascertained. There are no visible remains in the car park to the north or the fields to the east or south. (6)
Published survey (buildings) revised on MSD. Earthworks surveyed on MSD. (7)
Three seperate excavation were carried out at Leiston Abbey in 1985.
At TM 4444 6425 the footings of the Guest Hall were examined.
At TM 4444 6415 part of the gatehouse and a lead furnace were found.
AT TM 445 641 the foundations of medieval structures were found.(8,9)
See source for details. (10)
The site comprises the standing and buried remains of the monastic church and conventual buildings, together with adjacent earthworks and water control features, including a moated site. Leiston Abbey was founded at Minsmere in 1182 for 26 canons of the Premonstratensian order by Ranulph de Glanville. Because the abbey in its original location was prone to flooding, the canons were granted a papal licence in 1363 to move inland at Leiston. In 1380 the new buildings, with the exception of the church, were extensively damaged by fire. The abbey was suppressed in 1536 and in 1537 was granted to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.
The surviving walls of the church and other monastic buildings are constructed predominantly of flint rubble and mortar, with some septaria (local, nodular mudstone) and randomly set reused blocks of imported limestone, including fragments of architectural mouldings. The imported stone was mostly obtained from buildings on the original site. The upper parts of many of the walls are patched with brick of medieval type, which was also used in the construction of many of the arches.
The church is cruciform in plan and includes an aisled nave at the western end. It has a central crossing with transepts to north and south, and a square ended presbytery flanked by two square ended chapels at the eastern end. The north chapel, called the Lady Chapel, is in ecclesiastical use. Most of the outer walls of the south aisle and the eastern part of the north aisle wall were incorporated into buildings in the post-medieval period. In the 17th century, Abbey House was built on to the south aisle wall, within the area of the aisle itself. The house was extended in the 19th century, on the line of the west wall of the church. It was further extended to the south in the 20th century.
The remains of the conventual buildings of the abbey, which include walls standing in many places to a height of at least 4m, are ranged around three sides of a cloister adjoining the south wall of the church. The principal entry to the cloister from the outer part of the precinct is a passage through the west range, fronted by a porch which is dated to the late 15th or early 16th century and is the latest identifiable structure of the monastic period on the site.
A door opening in the north wall of the entrance passage leads into the main part of the undercroft of the west claustral range. The floor above, of which only fragments of wall remain, probably contained the abbot's apartments and perhaps accommodation for guests. To the south of the entrance passage is another small undercroft.
The eastern range of the cloister contained the dormitory on the upper floor which no longer survives. The plan of the ground floor is defined on the west side by standing walls, and on the east side by exposed wall footings and buried foundations. The most important component, facing centrally on to the cloister, is the chapter house, where the canons met to discuss the business of the abbey. Immediately to the north is an arched doorway to a vaulted chamber adjoining the south transept of the church and is identified as a bookroom or perhaps a sacristy, predating the one adjoining the chapel to the north east. To the south of the chapter house is a through passage and, beyond this, the ruins of a large, vaulted undercroft identified as the warming house. At the southern end of the east range, running east-west, are the remains of the latrine block.
The south claustral range is the best preserved of the three. It includes the remains of an undercroft, the refectory, the monastic kitchen and the laver, or washing place. The undercroft was altered in the late 14th century.
Aerial photographs suggest the presence of the buried remains of a large rectangular structure, probably the infirmary hall, located to the east of the claustral buildings. Beyond this, a ditch discovered through excavation is thought to mark the eastern boundary of the monastic precinct. Further north, slight rectilinear earthworks probably mark the site and buried foundations of another building or buildings, perhaps including a gatehouse.
To the north west of the claustral complex are the remains of an outer court, surrounded on three sides by a ditch and including two stone buildings which are partly of monastic date. One of the buildings is thought to have been a guest hall of later 14th century date. The ditch around the north, west and south sides of the court is now dry but it is considered to be the remains of a moat, possibly predating the construction of the abbey on the site. The southern arm of the ditch terminates at the east end in a rectangular pond. A channel links the east end of the northern arm to a large, rectilinear pond to the north east. This pond is one of a pair. Both are thought to be the remains of another moat, although it is possible that they were adapted for use as fish ponds or supply ponds during the monastic period. (11)
See page 87 for an reconstruction of how the abbey would have looked in the 16th century. (12)
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