St Mary's Abbey - Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK - Abbeys, Convents and Monasteries on Waymarking.com

Ruins of the abbey can still be seen in the Abbey Fields, together with more substantial remains in the form of a Gatehouse and a building usually called the Barn.

The abbey ruins are open at all times.
The exhibition in the Barn is open 2pm - 5pm on Sundays during summer.
The Barn is managed by volunteers from Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society and other local organisations. Entrance is free.

The History of the Abbey is summarised on the Information Board as follows:

Welcome to Abbey Fields, once dominated by the great medieval Abbey of St Mary and for over 400 years home to a community of Augustinian canons who lived, prayed and worked in a complex of buildings near to the site of the present swimming pool. The Abbey is now long gone, together with most of its buildings, and the pools and fish ponds along the valley between the Abbey and the castle. The memory of the Abbey is still preserved in the name Abbey Fields and its remains can be seen at the location shown on the plan.

A priory was founded c1124 by Geoffrey de Clinton, Henry I’s Chamberlain, at about the time he built the castle in Kenilworth. The Priory, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, was a house of the Augustinian order of canons (priests who lived in monastic communities).

Geoffrey de Clinton and later patrons gave the Priory extensive lands in Kenilworth and elsewhere in England together with the duty to collect taxes and enforce the law.

The Priory developed gardens and a series of pools to provide water power for their mills, and fish and water-fowl for the community to eat. The present pool in Abbey Fields gives an idea of the medieval water features but is far less extensive.

Gradually the Priory grew to become one of the richest landowners in Warwickshire. In 1447 the wealth and importance of the Priory was recognised by the Pope raising it to the status of Abbey.

By the early 1500s many people thought that the monasteries were too rich and no longer offered a religious life for true Christians.

King Henry VIII took control of the English Church away from the Pope and closed the monasteries.

Abbot Simon Jeykes signed over the Abbey to the King in 1538. Most of the Abbey church buildings were dismantled and used to repair or construct other buildings in the town, including some in the Castle.
By about 1700 the pools had largely disappeared and the surrounding land was under pasture. The only usable buildings were the Gatehouse and one known as the Barn, both of which survive today.

Parts of the Abbey remains were revealed during extensions to the churchyard in 1840 and 1890. A major excavation in 1922 uncovered much of the Abbey church, cloister and surrounding buildings. These remained open until 1967, when they were covered with soil for their own protection.

Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: St Mary's Kenilworth Address: St Mary's Abbey Abbey Fields Kenilworth, Warwickshire United Kingdom CV8 1LZ Religious affiliation: Augustinian Date founded/constructed: 1120 Web Site: [Web Link] Status of Use: Abandoned Ruin

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