Rufford Abbey

Rufford Abbey stands two miles south of Ollerton in Nottinghamshire. It began as a Cistercian monastery founded in 1147 and grew under papal blessing in 1156. The abbey once held broad lands that displaced nearby villages, and its income reached £254 in 1534. After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the estate became a country house. Parts were later demolished, yet the remaining ruins sit in 150 acres of park and woodland now open as Rufford Country Park. The abbey’s history includes visits from King James I in 1614 for a masque entertainment. The Savile family remodelled the house in the late 17th century, adding a north wing and stable block. A poaching incident in 1851 led to a ballad still performed today. Five ice houses built around 1820 once stored winter ice from Blackwalk Pond, now drained. The site also inspired a children’s TV series in the 1980s. Visitors find the abbey’s stone ruins set among mature trees and a lake. The surviving west range and service wing show brick and ashlar construction. Paths wind through the park, part of a local nature reserve. Remnants of the brewhouse and water tower recall the estate’s later uses. The grounds offer quiet walks and views of the old house’s remains.