Buildwas Abbey — Attraction in Buildwas

Lovely intriguing historical building in the middle of the Shropshire Countryside. The site is not vast but the ruins of this building have survived remarkably well intact and are a spectacular sight to see along with the detail of the architecture on show. There are a few information boards dotted around the site detailing the different features of the Abbey and their uses during the early medieval period. The Church is the main stand out feature due to the imposing magnificent pillars giving you an idea of what it was like during the medieval period during the Monks service. The Chapter House is another marvellous feature and deserves a mention due to the details and markings in the flooring in the centre, which is fenced and these marking will no doubt be original and date back to the early medieval period and is its amazing they have survived this long. The admission to the site is free but there is a parking charge of £2 for non-members of the English Heritage. The site does operate a second hand bookshop on selected dates and times when staff are on site. There is no gift shop on site but gifts can be purchased for bargain prices from the nearby shop at Much Wenlock Priory. Overall a pleasant and enjoyable place to visit and spectacular ruins to...

Interesting site with lots of potential if you can get there when it's fully open but the path by the car park was, I think, too unsafe, especially with a dog. In a case of bad timing, I went during restoration or some sort of maintenance, maybe, so a lot was blocked off or at least I couldn't see a way to access it and there seemed to be no staff on site to ask for clarification which took half of the site being seemingly inaccessible from confusing to frustrating. According to the website there is a second hand bookstore but, because of the previously mentioned lack of any staff on site it was locked up and inaccessible (assuming what we thought was the bookstore was indeed the correct building). These, however, are unfortunate blemishes on an otherwise great site. There were plenty of benches around the grass, a lot of informational panels, and a real garden used to grow traditionally medicinal plants and herbs. The biggest, and most serious, negative experience was stepping on a nail on a path outside the entrance; I was unharmed thanks to my shoe but my dog was with me and could have been injured so, unfortunately, I wouldn't go back, even if the staffing issue was resolved and the entire thing was to...

The ruins of Buildwas Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian abbey, have remained unusually unaltered in the centuries following its decline. It is now one of the best preserved examples of 12th architecture and Cistercian churches in Britain. The tower straddling the trancepts of the church is undergoing some work but the rest of the structure is in good condition. The rows of columns that would have lined the nave are iconic, the scalloping of the capitals still clearly visible. The abbey was a centre of learning in the area and cared for a large library, but economic difficulty in the 14th century brought decline, compounded by instability and fighting in the Marches. The Chapter House still possesses two striking features, the encaustic tiled floor and the incredible vaulted ceiling. There is a small car park available for the site, and it appears to be...