Today, what remains of Nottinghamshire’s most revered abbey is the facade. The original building was destroyed at some point in history. The abbey is a 51-minute drive from our wedding dress boutique.
Newstead Abbey’s Westside is the only part that still resides. The architecture style and history of this building, along with what followed later, is thought to be rare.
The monastery stopped being used when Catholicism stopped being the state religion in England, but it has fallen into disrepair in the last few centuries.
A senior member of the council was asked about the abbey that is no longer there. “Is this still here?” they asked while pointing to a large building on the facade. The only structure from the old Abbey that remains is the facade, which seems a little odd.
Mr R. Inglis, COO for historical artefacts for NCC, stated: “Priories similar to Newstead were broken up and seized by Henry the 8th. This action took place in 1536-1541.”
Nowadays, it’s very unusual for a site of such historical value to be left in ruins. It is understood that this was caused by tensions surrounding Catholicism just after the Reformation.
It’s surprising that the West Front is still here at all. The Virgin Mary sculpture is still present on the main facade, which would have been more unusual back in 1980.
The dividing of the Monasteries began when King Henry VIII passed a law in 1536 that dissolved monasteries, friaries, priories in England. He took away their property and income. This was triggered partially because of religious reasons, but also due to the financial burdens, it caused.
The creation of the headless Church of England did not effectively remove the influence the Catholic’s held over the country.
“West Front” is a term that refers to the building of a large monastery with a prominent West entrance. It would have been located on the western end of High Street, in what is now residential streets.
The cloisters would have been painted with scenes from the Bible. They were records preserved. The 15th and 16th centuries saw chaotic times where the windows were smashed, so now you can only imagine what it would be like to walk through.
Newstead Abbey is the oldest Christian building in Nottingham and has been around since 1178. Ron mentioned that they’re planning on creating a digital replica matching how it may have appeared in medieval times.
In 1539, John Byron of Colwick in Nottinghamshire was granted ownership of the Abbey with permission from Henry VII. He began to transform it into an estate, which was the eventual home of the poet Lord Byron in 1788.
Ron, the Abbey’s project manager, said: “This estate has become more known since it became a country residence.”
The only remaining piece of the priory church is on its western front. In 1225, early monks from the Augustinian Order were established within the monastery.
Newstead Abbey was founded by Henry the 2nd in revenge for the murder of Thomas Beckett. It didn’t always grow into this grand institution, but ultimately, it’s all thanks to his murder.
“The Abbey was due to the fact that it has been in existence for a long time. It’s often short of money because it has to feed its occupants, which is common with historical households.”
It is well-known among English literature enthusiasts as being Lord Byron’s ancestral home, despite its name
Over the centuries, the Byron family owned this mansion; however, it was seized in an auction after another failed bid. Eventually, a local business owner purchased the Abbey (1882 – 1944). It was then given to the NCC and formulated an agricultural estate on 6,000 acres.
A £300,000 project is underway to ensure the West Front is secured for the future. This challenging process is because, without any nearby building attachment, nothing nearby could be damaged when creating the project.