Remains Of Thornton Abbey Church And Adjoining Monastic Ranges

TA 11 NW THORNTON CURTIS COLLEGE ROAD (east side)

10/78 Remains of Thornton Abbey church and adjoining 6.11.67 monastic ranges (formerly listed as Church Ruins Thornton Abbey)

GV I

Ruins of Abbey church and adjoining monastic buildings founded as a Priory in 1139. Late C12 - early C13 dormitory vault, remainder largely rebuilt between mid C13 and late C14: church begun 1264, south transept 1280-90, chapter house 1282-1308, cloistral range begun 1322-3, refectory 1348-64, with minor late C15 - early C16 additions. C20 repairs. Chalk, limestone and ironstone rubble with limestone ashlar facing and dressings; sections of later brickwork to south and east monastic ranges. Plan: criciform church with 8-bay aisled nave, 2-bay north and south transepts with east aisles, 5-bay presbytery with chapel of St Thomas adjoining to north and 5-bay Lady Chapel adjoining to east. Monastic buildings arranged around cloisters adjoining to south of nave, with octagonal chapter house adjoining south east angle of south transept. Walls survive only to lower courses, apart from south end of south transept and sections adjoining. Inner face of south wall of south transept has lower section of filleted shafts of south respond to east arcade and blind arcading with geometrical tracery. Adjoining to south is a narrow corridor-room, perhaps a parlour, with blank arcading and quadripartite rib-vaulting. To south of this are. remains of a rib-vaulted vestibule with shafted pointed arch to chapter house. Latter has two north west bays standing to full height and portions of two adjoining, with moulded plinth and sections of two buttresses; stone bench and blind arcading to inner walls with very fine geometrical tracery. For plan and detailed description see DoE (AMHB) guidebook, Thornton Abbey, 1978; N Pevsner and J Harris, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, 1978, 402-3; NMR.

Listing NGR: TA1183718950