Articles

Visited  August 2013

Location	Muchelney, Somerset
Entrance Fee	Yes
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Yes
Facilities	Toilets, Gift shop
Map

Review

This is a picturesque abbey, situated on the Somerset levels. Formally the home of wealthy Benedictine monks, it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. The site was chosen as it was isolated, often completely cut off in winter due to flooding. The main building here is the Abbots House, which has many interesting internal features such as fireplaces, stained glass windows and wooden roof structures.

The remains of the abbey itself are outside, they are mainly at ground level, and can be walked around fairly easily, although there is some uneven ground. There are a couple of places where coffins were unearthed and removed, the remaining shaped hole was fascinating to the children. There is plenty of outdoor space here, but not necessarily the sort of space where children can run and play because most of the area is made up of foundations of the abbey.

There is also a large, thatched building on the site. This was apparently used as the monks toilet, another fascinating fact for the children, who wondered quite how it worked, given the building is two storeys high (unlucky if you had to use the downstairs loo!)

Inside the building there are displays, and some craft activities for children (printing tile patterns on paper) There is also a story bag, containing props which tell the story of the abbey and some monk outfits for dressing up.

There is a gift shop selling small snacks, but not really anything substantial if you are hungry, Muchelney is very small so I do not believe there were any cafes locally. We made do with ice-cream, then made a service stop once back on the M5.

More info:  English Heritage Muchelney Abbey