Bordesley Abbey
Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre and Historic Site
About
Bordesley Abbey is the site of a
medieval Cistercian Abbey in the
Arrow Valley.
The abbey's foundation was an act of Waleran de Beaumont,
Count of Meulan, who gave the monks of Garendon Abbey in
Leicestershire some more land. The Count's twin brother was the
benefactor of Garendon. However, Empress Matilda laid claim to
the patronageof Bordesley once Waleran surrendered to her in
about 1141, thus making Bordesley a royal house.
Bordesley Abbey was once an important local ecclesiastical
centre, holding political control of the ancient township of
Tardebigge. However, the abbey's importance was lost once its
control of the area was taken from it in the 1534 disestablishment.
It was demolished by Henry VIII during the dissolution in 1538 and
the property was sold.
The ruins were extensively excavated by the University of
Reading's Bordesley Abbey Project in the 1960s and 70s. Many of
the excavated items can be seen in a visitor centre and museum
at the site.