Alton Abbey

Alton Abbey is a former Anglican Benedictine monastery in the village of Beech, Hampshire, a few miles from the market town of Alton in the East Hampshire district. The early twentieth-century complex sits in rolling countryside close to King's Hill, one of the highest points in the county.

What is Alton Abbey and how did it begin?

The community was founded in 1884 by the Revd Charles Plomer Hopkins as the Society of Saint Paul. Its first task was to look after destitute merchant seamen and their chaplains, with bases in Rangoon and Calcutta. In 1895 it acquired the Beech site, which became a quieter home for elderly and sick sailors. Another charity took over the seafarers' work in 1989, and in the early 1980s the brothers had adopted the Rule of St Benedict; sources disagree on whether that happened in 1981 or 1982.

What is there to see?

The centrepiece is the abbey church of Our Lady and Saint John, built between 1901 and 1907 to a design by John Cyril Hawes. Sir Charles Nicholson designed the monastic buildings, drawing on Tintern Abbey as a model. The monks themselves did much of the building work, using local flint. A gatehouse from 1901 stands on the grounds.

Can you visit Alton Abbey?

Not at present. The community, which had dwindled in recent years, has left the site and the abbey no longer receives guests. In the past it ran retreats and courses open to the public, including icon painting. The owner, the charity Order of St Benedict at Alton Abbey, has put the property up for sale. The grounds are private, so check the current situation before you plan a trip.

How do you get there?

The abbey lies off Abbey Road, roughly midway between the villages of Beech and Medstead. Driving from Alton is the easiest option, and Alton has a railway station on the line from London Waterloo. Country lanes and footpaths around East Hampshire make a walk in the area worthwhile even with the gates closed.

Which Alton is it?

The name is easily confused with other places called Alton, such as the one in Staffordshire. This abbey is in Hampshire, in the village of Beech, not in the centre of the town of Alton.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Alton Abbey? The Revd Charles Plomer Hopkins, in 1884, as a society to help seafarers.

When was the abbey church built? Between 1901 and 1907, to a design by John Cyril Hawes.

Can I go inside the church? The abbey is closed to visitors and the grounds are private, so check for current information before travelling.

Where exactly is it? In Beech, off Abbey Road, near Alton in Hampshire.