If you fancy a bit of calm and tranquility then a visit to the living monastery that is Buckfast Abbey will certainly relax you. Home to a community of Benedictine monks, the abbey was founded nearly 1,000 years ago and stood for 500 years before Henry VIII closed it. The present day monks returned in 1882 and rebuilt the church on its medieval foundations. The abbey is now famous for its stained glass, bee keeping and unique Tonic Wine. As well as the tranquil church there are delightfully peaceful gardens around the site. The Grange Restaurant and Tearoom serves delicious lunches and cream teas.
The abbey is open to the public outside of service times, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from midday to 6pm.
The Abbey was first built in 1147, but was destroyed during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
In 1906 the new Abbey’s Abbot died in a shipwreck – his friend, who became the next Abbot, decided to fulfil his dying wish, that the Abbey be rebuilt. Over the next 32 years the monks worked to rebuild the Abbey.
It is an impressive sight, as they were untrained workmen and there were never more than six of them working at any one time. A beautiful place and has shop, restaurant and a number of interesting places to visit – a great day out.
