Buildwas Abbey

Buildwas Abbey stands beside the River Severn in Shropshire, two miles west of Ironbridge. Founded in 1135 by Bishop Roger de Clinton, it began as a Savigniac house before joining the Cistercians in 1147. The first abbot was Ingenulf, followed by Ranulf, whose abbacy from at least 1155 brought growth and new buildings. Abbots often acted for Plantagenet kings in Wales and Ireland, and the abbey later held daughter houses in both lands. By the mid-13th century it had acquired wide estates from local lords, though its early endowments were modest. The abbey was a centre of learning with a notable library. Seventeen of its 57 recorded volumes date from the 12th century, including an Augustinian work dated 1167 and a glossed Leviticus dated 1179. Its finances improved under Ranulf, allowing stone construction to begin. The church followed the early Cistercian plan, with a plain presbytery and a crossing tower added despite the order’s later ban. The site still shows parts of the church and the monks’ quarters. Visitors today see substantial ruins of the abbey church and claustral buildings. The crossing tower survives, though its upper parts have gone. The presbytery stands without aisles, and the monks’ quarters lie to the south. The setting beside the Severn remains peaceful, with open fields around the remains. English Heritage cares for the site, which offers a quiet place to walk among the stones of a once-powerful monastery.