Cleeve Abbey

Most of the big monastic sites in England are dominated by the ruin of their church, but this abbey is particularly noteworthy as the buildings around the cloister have fared much better although only the footprint of the church remains.Interesting exhibition area detailing the sites history, there is a covered external area where medieval tiled floors survive.Ample car parking, easy approach by car. There is a charge to enter the site but it is free to English Heritage members.

There was so much more here than we expected. Most of the buildings other than the church itself still pretty much exist, with two of the most impressive areas (the refectory and the dormitory) upstairs. Plenty of notices giving information. Particularly impressive is a well-preserved medieval tiled floor, with a display on how they were made. Very much recommended.

We visited a couple of weeks ago, whilst on a jaunt around Exmoor. We arrived quite early and there was only one other couple visiting while we are there, which meant we had plenty of time to explore and take lovely photos without additional elements.The site is quite flat and easy to navigate, although some of the ground floor interior of the ruins are a little uneven (cobbles and rubble) but manageable. The upstairs sections could prove difficult if you have mobility issues as there are no lifts of course.Considering it is a ruin, thanks mostly to Henry VIII there is still quite a lot to explore. Be sure not to miss the large section of original flooring, which is around the back and undercover to protect it. See if you can spot the toilets in the bedrooms (early en-suite).If you are not an English Heritage member, sign up while you are there and you'll find many more properties like this to visit and enjoy.

If you like history and fine examples of their kind Cleeve abbey worth a visit.Better to visit by car rather than from steam railway as walk by busy main road and then along lane.Has a good car park opposite.Has only example of a dormitory and refractory which is intact.Abbots rooms good and moved refractory floor to designated covered outside building beautifull.Walking through intact entry gate impressiveLimited information on boards.Nothing left of church as ransacked in reformationHowever walking in rooms where monks slept and ate their meals in silence mist evocative and thought provoking.Tiny shop sells UK only trappist beer Tynt Meadow...which comes from last working cistercian abbey and monasteryIn UK at St Bernard's in Leicestershire.Ti's most difficult to get hold of any and I live in leicestershire! So had to buy some.10.00 pound entry fee reasonable..to note 11.00 if tax payer.Spent a good hour exploring the site.5 mins up road is torre cider farm which you can visit for free

One of the best EH Abbeys we've been to. Tell enjoyed this one, full of information, some amazing tiles, and lots of rooms to explore. Gives a really good insight into life at this historic place.

So happy we popped to visit Cleevy Abbey. It is small and doesn't require a long time but views are magnificent, and so much history you can learn from the visit.

Just wow! There is so much to see in here. Very well preserved place. Knowledgeable staff that showed us some hidden items.

Another superb English Heritage visit. I never expected our visit to be the absolute quality it was. Right from the start walking through the main gate we were captivated. The lady at the reception/shop that welcomed us was lovely and so full of subject passion and knowledge I feel we could have chatted for an age. The abbey is great to explore, and there’s plenty of it. Information boards explain the function of each area and indeed room as you move around the site, providing the visitor with good knowledge. I came away a lot more understanding of the life of monks at that time. We loved it. There’s an incredible tiled floor to view that resides in it’s original position but covered by a modern building. An example of the quality work done by English Heritage. There’s plenty of grass areas around the abbey so I would imagine a picnic on a sunny, warm day would be ideal. There’s plenty of parking in the allotted, well maintained area across the road.

Beautiful place in really peaceful surroundings,the buildings unusually are in really good condition ,and you get a good feel of the monks existence!

Remarkably preserved buildings and interiors. Well worth a visit and decently priced. Free for English Heritage members. Yippee.