Whalley Cistercian abbey

Heritage listing

Details Whalley Abbey is located in the valley of the River Calder towards the south west end of Whalley village. It includes the upstanding and below ground remains of an abbey founded by the Cistercian order in the late 13th century and dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. The monument is divided into two separate areas. The monument is constructed of dressed sandstone. The most visible remains are the north east gateway, the north wall with round bastions along the roadside, the upstanding ruins of the east and south ranges of the cloister, the abbot's lodging, Peter of Chester's Chapel, the north west gateway, and the foundations of the nave. The well preserved standing remains demonstrate the usual layout of a Cistercian abbey but not the standard orientation. Traditionally monastic buildings were laid out so that the church ran east-west and formed the north range of a four-sided complex known as the cloister. Domestic buildings such as the kitchens would then form the south range, buildings such as the parlour, chapter house and abbot's lodgings would form the east range, and the lay-brothers' quarters would form the west range. At Whalley however, to enable the best use of the water supply provided by the River Calder, it was found necessary to dispense with the usual orientation and align the church on a NNW-SSE alignment, thus the church formed what amounted to the NNE range. For convenience the buildings are described as if normally orientated east- west. The earliest standing remains at the site of Whalley Abbey is the late 13th century chapel built by Peter of Chester, rector of nearby Whalley church, who died in 1295. The oldest part of the abbey is the north west gateway on which work began in 1320. Building of the church began ten years later and was complet

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.