Waverley Abbey, Farnham, Surrey
"The monastery at Waverley was the first Cistercian house to be established in Britain. It was founded by William Gifford, Bishop of Winchester, in 1128. It was started with 12 monks and an abbot from Aumone in France. By 1187 there were 70 monks and 120 lay brothers living there. In 1201 the abbey buildings were badly flooded and the abbey was substantially rebuilt during the 13th century. It continued to grow in the 14th century. The monks and lay brothers farmed the surrounding land, were active in the Cistercian wool trade and provided shelter for pilgrims and travellers and an infirmary for the sick. In 1536, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site passed to Sir William Fitzherbert, treasurer of the king’s household. Much of the abbey was dismantled and some of the stone was reused to build Sir William More’s house at Loseley, a few miles to the east. The property is now in the care of English Heritage (2011)
