The Abbot’s Porch is nearly all that remains of the Benedictine Abbey, which dominated the area around Cerne Abbas for 500 years. Dorset, England, UK.
The Abbot’s Porch, a doorway through an ancient tower, is almost all that remains of the old Benadictine Abbey of Cerne. It was founded in 987 AD, in the valley of the river Cerne in the heart of Dorset. The Abbot’s Porch itself is a later, Tudor, addition built in 1509. It features a fine double oriel window, carved with seals and small animal figures, and was the Abbey Gateway. The abbey prospered over the centuries, becoming, an important landowner, and dominating the area for more than 500 years. A village grew up around the abbey housing the many workers and employees that supported it, and the name of the village, Cerne Abbas, is now one of the few reminders that this was once an important centre of power and wealth. The abbey was largely destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries of 1539, in the reign of Henry VIII. Cerne Abbas became a quiet and picturesque backwater, and the tower can be found standing, in solitary splendour, in the secluded back garden of Abbey Farm House, in the village.
Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: The garden of Abbey Farm House, Cerne Abbas, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, UK, Great Britain, GB.
Photo credit: © Andrew Wood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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