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Calder Abbey
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Calder Abbey

Town: Ravenglass
Region: Western Lakes
County: Cumbria
Attractions:
Churches and Abbeys


Full Description: Calder Abbey is situated in a wooded recess close to the village of Calderbridge. It was once a Savigniac monastery founded in 1135 by the 2nd Earl of Chester, Ranulph de Gernon, for a colony of monks from Furness Abbey. It has been described as one of the most enchanting Abbeys in the UK.

Raids by the Scots meant the abbey had a difficult beginning and never attained any great wealth or size. After 1536 Henry VIII began closing all the monasteries and the monastery gradually became the ruins it is today. The west doorway and part of the tower remain today but they are unsafe and have to be viewed from the road or footpath. A path links Calder Bridge to the ruins of Calder Abbey.

The ruins are located in the grounds of a private residence but can still be viewed from the roadside. A Georgian House is built besides the Abbey and a pleasant walk goes beside the churchyard and along the River Calder.





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