The Augustinian priory of St.Mary the Virgin was founded in 1119. It became one of largest in the midlands and in 1447 the Pope raised it to Abbey status. Dissolved in 1538 it was stripped of its wealth, much of its stone re-cycled (mainly by Robert Dudley) and it was left to ruin.
The 1370 Gatehouse, was the main entrance to the abbey, manned by a porter who lodged in the adjacent two-storey rooms. A wall or further structures would have created a courtyard extending to the museum and the cloister.
Walk east from the gatehouse through the churchyard, the southern part of the ruin is the Outer Parlour.
These trails follow the same route as the leaflets but provide more detailed and deeper information at each point of interest (and we will keep adding more as we go!).
Please note – these trails are developed and optimised for a mobile experience so may not work effectively on bigger screen sizes.
Important – Using these trails and clicking their links will require mobile data (no more than accessing web pages), please ensure you are aware of your data limits and costs before using them.
Each point contains everything you need to locate it, as well as links to mapping services for its location.
At each point you will find further information pages and links to help interpret where you are and what you are looking at.
If you spot a mistake or encounter a problem please let us know by providing your feedback on the dedicated form linked below.
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