Building and site description
Lilleshall Abbey was built between 1145 and 1148 as a home for Augustinian priests (known as canons) who went out to preach at local churches. It was once one of the finest abbeys in the country. Now it is a ruin in a peaceful setting at the end of a farm track, surrounded by fields and woodlands.
The ornate processional doorway at Lilleshall Abbey © johnmuk
Clues to its former greatness can be seen in the 69 metre long church. A carved arch soars over the west door, facing the full-height east window. An ornate processional doorway leads from the south-east corner of the nave.
On the other three sides of the central courtyard are the remains of the buildings in which the canons slept, ate and worked. The walls of the chapter house, where they gathered every day to discuss abbey business, still survive. The grave slabs within are a reminder of the abbots (the heads of the abbey) who were all buried there.
Canons lived at the abbey for almost 400 years until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. During the English civil war it was used by the Royalist army as a fort.
The buildings were badly damaged during a parliamentary siege in 1645. They were then abandoned until the 1950s when they were made safe and taken over by English Heritage.
Architectural style
Norman abbey. The surviving buildings date mainly from the late twelfth century to the early thirteenth century.
One of the abbey's surviving walls © johnmuk
Building highlights
- The church, much of which survives, gives clues about how it once would have looked. Unusually, it can be viewed from gallery level.
- The slype is a narrow passageway where the canons could talk without breaking the cloister rule of silence. Supported by a framework of diagonal arched ribs, its roof is a striking example of rib vaulting that could lead to an exploration of structures and support systems.
Quirky facts
- The abbey is made of distinctive red sandstone, one of the rocks that can be found in Shropshire’s varied geology.
Using this building as a teaching resource
Few could stand within the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey, imagining the people who once spent their lives within these walls, without feeling a shiver of excitement. No wonder some people believe that the ghost of an Augustinian monk still haunts these ruins!
Visiting an abbey brings to life a period of history and architecture from the Norman invasion in 1066 to the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the early sixteenth century.
Abbey ruins with their soaring arches, intricate carvings and common layout are still a distinctive part of the English landscape. There are five in Shropshire alone. Studying them can develop young people’s understanding of the history and architecture which has helped to shape their local area.
Suggested activities
- Key Stage 2/3 Art and design: Choose one of the ruined buildings or rooms to draw. Now look for clues as to what else might have been there (the foundations of the altar, the edges of screens, window details and patterns, drains, lines of holes in the walls suggesting supports for a wooden roof). Make notes and sketches so that back in school you can draw a picture of what the complete building or room might have looked like when the canons lived there.
- Key Stage 3 Maths: In groups, choose a building to measure and draw a sketch map. Back in the classroom complete a scale drawing, compare them and discuss what the different sizes of the buildings show about what was considered important.
- Key Stage 3 Geography and Science: Lilleshall Abbey is built of local red sandstone. Research the geology of your area and whether local materials have been used in any of the buildings near your school. Why might older buildings be more likely to be made of local materials? Where do modern building materials come from? What are the environmental and architectural implications of this?
Region
West Midlands
Location
Oakengates
Near Telford
Shropshire
TF10 9HW
Accessibility
Lilleshall is open from 10am to 5pm daily, from April to September.
Closed October to March.
Admission is free.
See booking details on the English Heritage website or call 0121 625 6864.
Further information
English Heritage information on Lilleshall Abbey
The English Heritage teachers’ booklet Shropshire Abbeys (PDF) contains information and teaching ideas about all five Shropshire abbeys including Lilleshall.
