Listed Building record MDO47477 - Cistercian Abbey of Holy Cross, Stapehill, Hampreston

The Abbey was built from 1802 onwards for a group of Cistercian nuns from France. It was the first Cistercian nunnery built in England after the Dissolution of the Monastries in the 16th century. The site of the abbey has been used as a retreat by Jesuits since the 16th century. The abbey was constructed around an existing farmhouse (uid 610515), cottage (uid 610593) and outbuildings on a remote moorland site of 25 acres in east Dorset. Apart from the late 18th century farmhouse in the centre of the complex and a mid-late 18th century cottage in the south-east corner, the abbey buildings date mostly from the 1840s. A brick church (uid 610515) was built to the north of the cloister between 1847 and 1851. Apart from alterations necessitated by the existence of the older buildings on the site, the overall plan of the abbey is similar to the standard plan adopted for medieval Cistercian monastries. The abbey closed in 1990 and the buildings were converted to form a crafts centre.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 27 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(3) Chapel (05420032), Roman Catholic, in the Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross, was designed by Charles Hansom (Builder, June 12th, 1847) and was consecrated in 1851. Stained glass windows were supplied by John Hardman in 1850'.

<2> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF088988 (Index). SDO14738.

HOLY CROSS ABBEY, STAPEHILL ROAD, STAPEHILL, FERNDOWN TOWN. Miniature Format Film Number: 196/P

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 610511 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 4 2023 3:35PM