Cistercian Abbey ruins, (Church Street), Greyabbey, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2NQ

Extensive early gothic ruins of a 13th century Cistercian abbey with 15th century additions. The ruins are sited to the north west of the village of Greyabbey. The abbey is rubble built and there are significant remains of the cruciform church to the N and refectory to the S, with foundation ruins of the sacristy, chapter house and day room between both. The W gable of the nave is largely intact with a low pointed arch doorway with dog’s tooth ornamentation and a bellcote of the seventeenth century. The N and S walls of the nave still retain many pointed arch window openings as does the chancel gable. The S wall of the nave is supported on three large flying buttresses which were added as a safety measure in c.1907. The tower or crossing section between the nave and chancel still has the remains of large equilateral arches set on corbels. Inside the nave are many memorials to the Montgomery family, dating back to the 1600s. There is a pointed arch ‘sedile’ (seat for priest) recess in the S wall of the chancel next to a smaller ‘piscina’ recess (for washing vessels). There is a thirteenth century sandstone effigy of a lady set in a recess in the N wall of the chancel, with a much damaged effigy of a knight in the south chapel attached to the E of the N transept. Substantial portions of the W wall of the refectory and the S gable are still standing, with large pointed arch (lancet) window openings in the gable. To the N of the church is a graveyard with many varied headstones dating from the 1630s onwards. This ruin is now a Scheduled Monument in state care.