Mount St Bernard Abbey

Mount St Bernard Abbey stands on the edge of Charnwood Forest near Coalville in Leicestershire. The monastery belongs to the Trappist Order and was founded in 1835, making it the first permanent monastery built in England after the Reformation. It remains the only Trappist house in the country and produces the only Trappist beer in Britain. The monks arrived from Mount Melleray Abbey in Ireland, which itself had been founded by monks expelled from France during the Revolution. The abbey sits on 227 acres of land purchased by local landowner Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps, a Catholic convert who wanted to restore monastic life to England. The monastery’s buildings reflect its austere purpose. The first temporary monastery, designed by William Railton, opened in 1837 but was soon replaced by a grander complex. Augustus Pugin, known for his Gothic Revival designs, created the permanent monastery in 1844, donating his work without charge. Pugin described the buildings as severe lancet-style structures with massive walls and narrow windows, embodying the Trappists’ simplicity. The church was consecrated in 1844 but remained unfinished for over ninety years, with only the nave built. A calvary on Kite Hill, reached by a winding path with stone steps, offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Visitors find a quiet place of worship and work. The monks tend the land and brew beer in the abbey’s brewery, continuing a tradition that began with the first community. The site includes the unfinished church, a calvary on Kite Hill, and the remains of Tynt Meadow House, where the first monks lived. Roman coins and artefacts discovered in 1840 suggest earlier activity on the land, adding a historical layer to the visit. The abbey has welcomed notable figures such as William Wordsworth, Florence Nightingale, and John Henry Newman, drawn by its solitude and purpose.