Forde Abbey: Forde Abbey is a treasure in an area already known for its outstanding beauty. More than 900 years of history and romance are encapsulated in this elegant former Cistercian monastery and its 30 acres of exquisite award winning gardens.
In the peaceful solitude of its secluded position it is possible to imagine just how it looked to many of its previous owners, from its medieaval beginnings to the present day: monks going about their daily round of work and prayer, prosperous parliamentary gentlemen discussing the cavalier threat, gifted philosophers debating the imponderable, elegant Victorian ladies fanning themselves by the fireside and country gentlemen going about their work on the estate.
The house is surrounded by 30 acres of spectacular award winning gardens. The landscape has developed slowly since monastic times. The monks certainly grew vegetables in large quantities, but whatever gardens they had have disappeared over the centuries.
The only monastic structure that remains today is the Great Pond at the top of the garden. This now brings water into the garden but originally its purpose was to power a mill for grain, which stood on the site of the present day Forge.
Each part of Forde Abbey's history can be clearly read in the architecture and structure of the house and garden. It is a living testament to the people who have lived and worked here over the past nine centuries and makes it one of the most fascinating buildings in the country.
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