Denny Abbey & the Farmland Museum, Cambridgeshire
Denny Abbey is a former abbey near Waterbeach, sited on an ancient road between Cambridge and Ely. The site was settled by farmers as early as the Roman period. The Domesday Book said that it was owned by Eddeva in 1066.
A group of Benedictine monks, governed from Ely, moved here in the 1159, at the suggestion of Duke Conan IV of Brittany. They built a church, Denny Priory, which opened in 1159. In 1169 the monks returned to Ely and the site was handed to the Knights Templar. It then became a retirement home for elderly Knights Templars. After the Templars’ suppression for alleged heresy in 1308, it became a convent of Franciscan nuns before becoming a farm from 1539 and the dissolution of the monasteries, until the 1960s.
The crossing and transepts are the only parts of the original Priory that remain today.
The site’s Farmland Museum features a fenman’s hut, blacksmith’s and wheelwright’s workshops, village shop display and many other aspects of Cambridgeshire rural life. Denny Abbey and The Farmland Museum hosts a range of events, children's activity days and adult art & craft workshops.
The museum cafe is open from 11am-4pm on weekends and bank holidays, and on Thursdays during the school holidays. It offers a range of hot drinks, locally sourced soft drinks and a range of cakes, scones and filled rolls.
Opening Times
01 Apr - 31 Oct 2011
Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 - 17:00
Monday to Friday, 12:00 - 17:00
Closed November to March inclusive.
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Ticket Prices
Adults: £4.50
Children: £2.50
Concessions: £3.50
Family Ticket: £12.00
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Disabled Facilities
Access to abbey and museum: Threshold step to the entrance of the abbey (assistance is recommended), then tarmac and grass paths. Ground floor has level access; staircase to first floor.
Grounds: Level access on grass and gravel surfaces. Benches available.
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More Information
Location Map
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