Buckland Abbey, Buckland Monachorum, Devon
The abbey was founded in 1278 by Amicia, Countess of Devon as a Cistercian Abbey. At the Dissolution it was acquired by Sir Richard Grenville in 1541. It was converted by his famous grandson of the same name, into a house with various additions around 1576. When Sir Richard converted the abbey church into a mansion house he incorporated a large part of the medieval building, adapting it to his own uses. Other, more minor late 16th century alterations were made by Sir Francis Drake, who bought the property in 1581. It remained in the Drake family for over three hundred years. In the 1920s Lord and Lady Seaton excavated the former Chancel of the Abbey Church - then the servants hall - to discover the position of the High Altar. They then converted the room into a chapel. In 1938 a severe fire damaged the west end of the house which was afterwards restored. The next major work took place in 1949-51 when an extensive restoration and modernisation programme was undertaken in preparation for opening the property to the public. This was done by the National Trust and Plymouth City Museum.
