Croxden Abbey
 Abbeys |
Croxden Abbey was one of the later Cistercian monasteries to be built in England, having been established in 1176 by monks from Normandy. Unlike earlier abbeys built by this Order Croxden's architecture is noticeably less austere, indeed, its east end incorporated the French style ‘chevet' with five radiating chapels. This may be compared with a similar one at Hailes Abbey, but in the main the elegant ‘chevet' was a rare sight in English churches.
Little is known of the history of Croxden in the 360 years from its inception to the dark days of the Dissolution, in fact, few events of any significance were documented. We may assume that the major currents of English history flowed past this delightfully quiet corner of Staffordshire, and that the community of monks living, working and praying at the abbey led a relatively undisturbed and peaceful existence. This is a sheep breeding county and the monks proved themselves excellent sheep breeders, thus the abbey gained most of its income from selling good quality wool. Croxden was not one of the larger abbeys, in fact it was quite a compact building staffed by no more than 12 monks and the abbot at any one time in its history. When the shadow of Henry VIII's edict fell over the monastery in 1538 the same compliment of monks was in residence.
At first sight it is difficult to fully appreciate the true alignment of the abbey, but this is because the village lane cuts diagonally right through the nave, and a farmhouse now stands on the site of the original church kitchen. One of the highlights of the remaining ruins is the dramatic series of arches standing on the east side of the cloisters; very striking when viewed from a distance and full of exquisite details when examined up close. Equally impressive are the towering remnants of the west end and the south transept of the church; standing to almost full height they dominate the ground about. There is also an intriguing passageway with its roof still intact, rich mouldings around the central doorway and three narrow lancet windows to explore. On the other side of the site is the ruined east end, the most important section of any church. In Croxden's case it took the form of a sumptuously designed French ‘chevet', and the arrangement of five circular chapels radiating from the ambulatory can be gleaned from the outline of the remaining foundations. Only fragments remain to us today but in the 13 th century, the lavish design of the 'chevet', so far removed from the strict conformity of earlier Cistercian architecture, must have been wonderful to behold.
Croxden Abbey has easily the most attractive ruins in the county with a great deal of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. In addition, the abbey's dramatically jagged remains are done full justice by the unobtrusive and tranquil rural setting; perhaps not the easiest monastic ruins to locate but certainly worth the effort.