Building record 0052200000 - BURNHAM ABBEY

Summary

Augustinian Burnham Abbey founded 1289, suppressed and partially destroyed in 1539, restored 1914.

Protected Status/Designation

  • Conservation Area: Huntercombe Conservation Area
  • Listed Building (I) 1124475: BURNHAM ABBEY
  • Planning Notification Area: Earthworks and standing remains of Medieval Augustinian nunnery at Burnham Abbey

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Type and Period (1)

  • ABBEY (13th Century to Modern - 1289 AD to 1999 AD)

Description

Abbey of St Mary founded 1266 for Austin Canonesses by Richard King of the Romans. Abbey built immediately. 1539 Abbey supressed & partly destroyed & rest converted to a dwelling. During C18 used as farm buildings. 1914: bought & restored; 1916: reused as a nunnery (B2-6,B9-13,B22).
Charters (B1).
In July 1995, the construction of a soakway and related pipework exposed the chalk foundations of a medieval wall in the space between the infirmiary and the reredorter. Running N-S parallel to the abbey main range (frater), the chalk wall had been built on a layer of 15cm thick shaped Reigate greenstone which in turn was laid upon the natural gravel. The area between the wall and the main range was filled with hardcore and on the surface was an uniform layer mortar. A modern soil pipe from the 1930s was noted as crossing the wall (B28).
Abbey included in Huntercombe Conservation Area (B34-35).
Watching brief carried out by JMHS from September to November 2010 during groundworks for alterations to services and installation of a lift identified a post-medieval destruction of construction layer 0.25m thick and containing 18th and 19th century finds in areas 2, 3 and 4. The report includes a useful summary of previous archaeological work at the Abbey (B36).

Sources (33)

  • <7>SBC12860 Bibliographic reference: RCHM BUCKS 1 PP72-75.
  • <8>SBC13398 Article in serial: 1963. RECS OF BUCKS 1963 17 P203 (SEE ALSO SISTER JANE MARY'S ACCOUNT OF 1963 EXCAVATIONS & CORRESPONDENCE).
  • <9>SBC13756 Bibliographic reference: T W E Roche. 1966. PRECIOUS BLOOD: A HISTORY OF BURNHAM ABBEY.
  • <10>SBC14573 Bibliographic reference: Sister Jane Mary. 1975. THE SITE OF BURNHAM ABBEY.
  • <11>SBC9354 Bibliographic reference: MR R F DENINGTON.
  • <12>SBC11407 Unpublished document: OS RECORD CARDS SU 98 SW 18 (FILED).
  • <13>SBC7147 Bibliographic reference: D Knowles & R N Hadcock. 1971. MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS HOUSES IN ENGLAND & WALES, 2ND EDITION PP278-279.
  • <14>SBC8065 Bibliographic reference: M E FARLEY FIELD VISIT JAN 1977.
  • <15>SBC2438 Unpublished document: CAS CARD 00522.
  • <16>SBC903 Unpublished document: BCM ACCESSIONS REGISTER.
  • <17>SBC9247 Unpublished document: Don and Dorothy Miller. 1981. MR & MRS D MILLER, FEB 1981 (COPY OF SURVEY FILED).
  • <18>SBC14575 Bibliographic reference: SISTER JANE MARY, BURNHAM ABBEY, & MR D MILLER (C. M.A.G) APRIL 1981.
  • <19>SBC11471 Bibliographic reference: P A YEOMAN & A R PIKE MARCH 1983 FIELD VISIT.
  • <20>SBC8561 Article in serial: Don and Dorothy Miller. 1984. 'BURNHAM ABBEY', IN SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY 14 PP13-14 & SEE ALSO TYPESCRIPT & PLAN, FILED. Vol 14.
  • <21>SBC9283 Unpublished document: Don Miller. 1986. MR D MILLER OCT 1986 (SEE TYPED NOTE, FILED & PHOTOS BUR/65-68 IN BCM COLLECTIONS).
  • <22>SBC14574 Article in serial: Sister Jane Mary, Don Miller & Dorothy Miller. 1985. 'MANOR & ABBEY OF BURNHAM', IN RECS OF BUCKS 27 PP94-100. Vol 27.
  • <23>SBC4001 Bibliographic reference: DoE. 1985. LIST OF BUILDINGS OF SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL OR HISTORIC INTEREST: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: DISTRICT OF SOUTH BUCKS.
  • <24>SBC8562 Graphic material: Don and Dorothy Miller. 1992. MAY 1992 WATCHING BRIEF (SEE NOTES & PLAN FILED).
  • <25>SBC14576 Graphic material: 1993. SISTER JANE MARY (BURNHAM ABBEY) & FARLEY M E, JUNE 1993 (PHOTOS & PLAN FILED).
  • <26>SBC4869 Verbal communication: FARLEY M E (BCM) JUNE 1997 PERS COMM.
  • <27>SBC19256 Bibliographic reference: Browne Willis. 1717. An History of the Mitred Parliametary Abbies. Vol 2. p15.
  • <28>SBC20123 Unpublished document: Mr and Mrs Miller and Mike Farley. 1995. Correspondence with regard to an exposed wall foundation at Burnham Abbey.
  • <29>SBC2326 Article in serial: L M Cantor and J Hatherly. 1977. 'THE MEDIEVAL PARKS OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE', in Records of Buckinghamshire 20. Vol 20 part 3.
  • <30>SBC19084 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 1998. Burnham Sewage Treatment Works Pumpaway Sewer and Cippenham Water Main, Bucks. and Berks..
  • <31>SBC20125 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 1998. Correspondence wth regard to finds made along line Cippenham Lane water main, Burnham.
  • <32>SBC20462 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1925. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume III. Volume 3.
  • <33>SBC23382 Article in serial: Harold Brakspear. 1903. Burnham Abbey.
  • <34>SBC23423 Map: South Bucks District Council. 1977?. Huntercombe Conservation Area.
  • <35>SBC2224 Bibliographic reference: Beaconsfield District Council. 1977. BURNHAM & HUNTERCOMBE CONSERVATION AREAS V51 & V52.
  • <36>SBC24056 Unpublished document: John Moore Heritage Services. 2011. Archaeological Watching Brief at Burnham Abbey, Burnham.
  • <37>SBC20133 Bibliographic reference: R Howard, R Laxton and C Litton. 1997. Tree-ring analysis of timbers from the Tithe Barn, Lake End Road, Taplow.
  • <38>SBC24591 Unpublished document: ArcServ. 2014. Tithe Barn, Lake End Road, Burnham: Report of a Watching Brief.
  • <39>SBC26100 Unpublished document: KDK Archaeology Ltd. 2022. Archaeological Evaluation Report, Tithe Barn, Lake End Road, Burnham, Buckinghamshire.

Location

Grid reference SU 93080 80480 (point)
Civil Parish BURNHAM, South Bucks, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (18)

Related Events/Activities (4)

  • Event - Intervention: Desk based assessment of West End Farm & Lake End Farm (EBC16340)
  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief (Ref: BMBA 10) (EBC17443)
  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief carried out during construction of stables and double garage at Abbey House, Burnham (EBC16332)
  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief carried out during the construction of Burnham Sewage and Treatment Works and Cippneham Lane Water main (EBC16333)

Record last edited

Oct 17 2023 3:09PM

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