Denny Abbey has a unique and fascinating history, having been occupied at various times by three different monastic orders. Founded in 1159 as a Benedictine monastery, in 1170 it was taken over by the Knights Templars and used as a home for aged and infirm members of the order. After the Templars’ suppression for alleged heresy in 1308, it became a convent of Franciscan nuns known as the Poor Clares. Following the dissolution of the nunnery in 1539 by Henry VIII, it became a farm and was in use until the late 1960s.
All these changes are still traceable in the building and are interpreted for visitors by graphic panels illustrated by local artist Anne Biggs.
Family-friendly activities include imaginative hands-on interactives about medieval tiles and arches.
The neighbouring Farmland Museum features an extensive outdoor collection of farming machinery from the Fens, a fenman’s hut, blacksmith’s and wheelwright’s workshops, village shop display and holds information about many aspects of Cambridgeshire rural life. The Farmland Museum hosts a range of events, children's activity days and adult art and craft workshops. Visit Farmland Museum events to find out more.
Managed by The Farmland Museum - please visit their website for more infomation.
DON'T MISS
- tracing the different phases of use of the site from the fascinating jumble of building styles seen which is like an architectural jigsaw puzzle of windows, blocked doorways and arches
- exploring the remains of a 12th century Benedictine abbey
- viewing the medieval tiled floor in the nuns' great refectory
- visiting Walnut Tree Cottage, a traditional 1860s farmworker’s home that is furnished as it would have been in the 1940s, with a cottage garden to match - please be aware that the cottage will be closed during the 2024 season as it is undergoing an essential renovation project but the garden can still be visited
- extending your visit to the area by going to nearby Isleham Priory Church
