Quarr Abbey

Quarr Abbey stands between the villages of Binstead and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. It is a working monastery of the Order of St Benedict, built in the early 20th century from Belgian brick. The design mixes French, Byzantine and Moorish styles, creating a striking silhouette against the skyline. Nearby lie the remains of the original 12th-century Cistercian abbey, including fragments of its fortified walls. A small community of fewer than a dozen monks maintains the daily round of prayer and work. The abbey also runs a farm and offers two-month internships for young men. The abbey’s church and monastic buildings are Grade I listed and regarded as among Britain’s most important 20th-century religious structures. Nikolaus Pevsner praised them as daring and successful examples of early modern church architecture. The site holds the graves of Baldwin de Redvers, founder of the medieval abbey, and Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV. The name ‘Quarr’ comes from the old stone quarry that once supplied material for buildings such as parts of the Tower of London. Ruins of the abbey’s medieval defences, including a sea gate and portcullis, remain visible nearby. Visitors find a serene complex of brick-built cloisters and a tall church with pointed towers. Dom Paul Bellot, a monk-architect, designed the new abbey in 1907, using local craftsmen to raise the refectory and cloister within a year. The church was completed and consecrated in 1912, its interior marked by tall, glowing Flemish brickwork. The grounds include a wooded area and a stretch of coast, with the remains of the medieval monastery nearby. The abbey is known for its Gregorian chant, hosting courses that attract singers and scholars from around the world.