Leicester abbey and 17th century mansion and ornamental gardens

Heritage listing

Details The monument is situated on the west bank of the River Soar, approximately 1km north of the medieval town of Leicester, and includes the standing and buried remains of an Augustinian abbey and its associated home farm and those of a 17th century mansion and ornamental gardens. The abbey ruins are Listed Grade I. The abbey was founded in 1143 by Robert le Bossu, Earl of Leicester, and was endowed with large areas of land and many parish churches both in Leicestershire and further afield. Documentary evidence indicates that it became one of the richest and most important Augustinian houses in England. Leicester abbey was surrendered to the Crown in 1538, at which time a survey of the monastery was drawn up. After the Dissolution a mansion was built at the site, occupied first by the Hastings family and then by the Cavendish family. By 1928 the 17th century house was in ruins and the land was given to the City of Leicester by Lord Dysart. A precinct wall of stone and brick defines the abbey site and encloses an area of approximately 13ha. The entrance to the abbey was near the centre of the northern wall and remains of masonry structures survive against the wall in this vicinity. The construction of the precinct wall is attributed to two of the monastery's abbots, Abbot Clowne (1345-78) and Abbot Penny (1496-1505), and it is now known as Abbot Penny's Wall. The wall, which is Listed Grade I, is approximately 5m high and is included in the scheduling. It is visible along much of its length except for several gaps along the eastern side and one in the south eastern side, which has been partly rebuilt using modern brick. This latter section of the wall is excluded from the scheduling although the ground below is included. In the north eastern part of the site, approxi

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.