Downside Abbey Church and Monastery Gardens - Free Guided Tours and Exhibition

Downside Abbey is the senior Benedictine monastery of the English Benedictine Congregation. The buildings and grounds were developed by the Community of St Gregory the Great (originally founded in Douai in 1606) after it settled at Downside in 1814.

On Thursday 17th September we are running two free guided tours and our exhibition 'Everyday Lives' will be open.

Downside Abbey Church (the minor Basilica of St. Gregory the Great) is one of only four minor basilicas in the UK and is one of England’s great neo-Gothic churches. The grade one listed building is work of several distinguished architects including Thomas Garner, Sir Ninian Comper and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Tours of the Abbey Church will take place at 1015 and 1315. (For visitors who would prefer not to join a tour, the church will be open between 1000 and 1600 and guidebooks will be available to purchase)

Tours of the monastery gardens will commence at 1145 and 1445. The gardens have been exclusively for the use of the monastic community, but we are opening them for Heritage Open Days. Please note: the gardens are only accessible on a tour.

Our exhibition 'Everyday Lives' explores the lives of some of the people who worked at Downside as domestic servants or on the wider estate, and looks at some of the ways the Community affected the lives of local people.

The visitor centre cafe will be open for tea and coffee between 1000 to 1600.

Timings

Thursday 17 September:

Abbey Church & Exhibition open: 1000-1600. Abbey Church Tours: 1015 & 1315. Monastery Gardens Tours: 1145 & 1445

Location & directions

Downside Abbey, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 4RH

Contact on day:

Diane Brunning

Telephone number:

+441749717116

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

A few areas of the abbey church are up or down stairs and are inaccessible to wheelchairs/pushchairs. Some of the gardens paths are uneven and care should be taken. Appropriate footwear is advised. The garden tours are not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchair users.

Additional information

Max number of people:

40

Estimated duration:

1 hour(s)

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