Cymer Abbey

The ruins of Cymer Abbey primarily consist of the remains of the church, with the foundations indicating the former location of the conventual buildings. The surviving structures are built from rubble with dressings of buff-coloured and red sandstone, exhibiting a transitional Early English architectural style towards the east and Decorated Gothic towards the west. The church features a long, continuous nave and chancel with a straight east end. Three tall lancet windows are set within the east gable, each with wide inner splays; the central lancet has cable moulding and plain, engaged cushion-type capitals, with moulded lozenge decoration to the right-hand capital, the left-hand capital is lost. Plain flanking lancets have similar capitals with moulded necking. A moulded arched recess is present on the south wall of the chancel, to the right of which is a wide, segmental-arched tomb recess. West of this is the sedilia, with one arch (on the left) remaining, featuring cable moulding and supported on a compound pier with a transitional capital and base. To the right is a similar engaged capital and shaft. Further west is the cloister entrance, identifiable by its heavily-moulded jambs and round-arched head. The cloister-facing side displays two arches, one inside the other, with continuous cable moulding. There is no triforium, but the splayed bases of four clerestory windows are visible on the south wall. On the north side of the chancel is a pointed-arched and labelled tomb recess. The three westernmost bays of the nave have arcades leading to a ruined north aisle, with octagonal piers on plain, chamfered bases and simple moulded capitals. The arches are pointed and chamfered, with similar inner arches; a weathered head-corbel is found at the westernmost springing. Evidence suggests two further clerestory windows existed above the arcade. The rubble base of a chest tomb remains near the second arch. A lancet window base is present at the east end of the north aisle, and a similar opening at the west end, alongside demolition-related openings and breaks. A small square aumbrey with a rebate for a door is located on the south side of the east wall. The ground floor of a 14th-century west tower survives, featuring three arched lights with wide internal splays and segmental heads. The remains of a newel stair are found in the southwest corner, along with evidence of a corner buttress externally. This site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (ME 001).