My wife and I are on a mission to visit all the National Trust properties in our local area – and beyond – but came across this one, not NT, via a special offer on Travelzoo. It was a 2for1 deal, which included a cup of coffee!
We decided that the Abbey probably needs special offers as it is not easy to find, and on the day we visited our journey was further lengthened by a road closure and diversion. However, we arrived early and enjoyed the visit in spite of this.
As the name suggests, the house is a former 12th century Cistercian abbey, parts of which can still be seen intact today, especially part of the cloisters. This seemed to us quite unusual for a country house of this type, and added much interest to our visit. It has of course much changed over the centuries, but it was good to know that, even though still privately owned, both house and gardens are well maintained and open to visitors.
Don’t miss the lake with the Centenary Fountain, the highest powered fountain in the country!
“Abbey website”:https://www.fordeabbey.co.uk/
