| Summary : Premonstratensian Abbey founded in 1188 and dissolved in 1539. The first substantial abbey buildings were probably early 13th century, with possible additions after expansion of the estate to 8 acres in 1285, and further additions in the mid 14th and early 15th century. At the Dissolution the property passed to the Dereham family and Sir Thomas Dereham built Dereham Abbey house shortly after 1689, incorporating some of the old monastic buildings. Today only ruins comprising a wing, gate piers and bridge, and a barn, survive from the 17th century complex. The house appears to have been almost completely demolished by the mid 19th century, although its character and general layout are recorded in 18th century drawings. Surviving earthworks and an 18th century map show that the house lay within a large ditched enclosure, while to the south of the house were canals and avenues. Extensive cropmarks of the abbey and later house were revealed on air photographs taken in 1976 and 1977, including the great barn, the gate house, the monastic church, the chapter house. A programme of recording work at the site commenced in 1991. |
More information : (TF 6612 0062) Remains of (NAT) St Mary's Abbey (NR) (Premonstratensian Founded 1188) (NAT) (1)
Premonstratensian abbey of BV. Mary founded 1188; dissolved 1539. (2)
Abbey sited S. of Abbey Farm. Remains comprise an early 18th cent. house with an ambitious ruined outbuilding. There are also fine gateposts with niches. But apart from the fact that the back of the house is of carstone and that the outbuilding has diagonal buttresses, no evidence of the abbey seems visible. (3)
Position of abbey church and cloister not now traceable. Only old buildings standing on site are remains of a large stone barn 122' long and E. wall of a farmhouse with four windows of C.1500; this may have formed part of the abbot's lodging. (4)
St. Mary's Abbey remains including the farm buildings and gate posts. Gd II; Md. and later. Gate posts at entrance 17th.c. (5)
Two large ruined buildings (TF 66110060 and TF 66110045) and two ornamental gate-posts (TF 66290083) are all that remains of this early 18th century complex and are as described by Pevsner (3), including the diagonal buttresses on the southern building which are presumably associated with the earlier monastic holding and appear to be in situ for no rebuilding is evident. See photographs. OS air photographs show extensive building lines indicating the Abbey, associated buildings, and a detached lodge/guest house or gate-house to the north (see attached trace coupled with photostat air photograph), this area is now part root crop and part plough. Perambulation of the plough produced no finds of early building material other than large flint nodules - no mortaring evident, nor were there surface indications of the air photograph markings. Part perambulation of the crop gave similar findings. Whilst suggestions may be made as to the original Premonstratensian pattern from the air photograph evidence, the later domestic intrusion prevents any accurate classification of the many buildings and their period in the complex. With the exception of the buttresses no monastic architecture is evident in the present neglected ruins.
The present modern tree line surrounding the site encloses circa 50.0 acres and possibly marks the original precinct, there is however no substantiating evidence of the ground. A wide ditch bisecting this enclosed area (TF 66050041 - TF 66310045) is perhaps an internal precinct boundary leaving the Abbey proper to the north with an area of husbandry to the south. Within the latter centred at TF 662003 are the remains of 3 large fishponds. Part water filled they attain a maximum depth of 0.7m. Surveyed on 1:2500 AM. (6)
Cropmarks on air photographs taken in 1976 revealed further features on the Abbey buildings. (see plan) (7)
Scheduled; number 388. (8)
The monastic precinct enclosed by a moat is quadrangular and measures circa 773m NNW-SSE by 330m. The monastic buildings stood in the Northen half. The outer gatehouse stood within the moated precinct towards the North-West corner. Air photos show the gatehouse to have had a central passage of 2 bays with apartments on either side. From the NW and NE corners, walls ran W and NNE to the moat. There is evidence for a building running SE from the gatehouse on its eastern side, and to the E of this are the buried remains of a long rectangular building measuring circa 30m NNW-SSE by 10m. This was probably a barn. A road ran from the outer gatehouse to the inner gatehouse, which formed the core of a house built on its site in the late 16th century, but largely demolished in 1810. Descriptions relate that the gatehouse was a 3-storeyed structure with octagonal turrets at each corner. A range of buildings of early 16th century date extended Westwards from the gatehouse, part of the Southern wall of this range surviving as the North wall of the present house. The outline of a building 73m ENE of the gatehouse possibly represents a stables.
The remains of the monastic church lay to the East of the site of the inner gatehouse. Only the East end and parts of the Southern side are visible as cropmarks. These show the church to have been cruciform, circa 65m long, the presbytery being flanked by aisles. The claustral buildings surrounded a cloister circa 27m by 27m to the South of the church. The octagonal chapterhouse projected from the Eastern range. A group of buildings visible to the South of the cloister are probably kitchens. The infirmary is visible to the East of the cloisters. A guest house 45m long stood to the South-West stood near where the present group of farmbuildings now stand.Scheduled, National Number 30588. (9) |