Wroxall Abbey
Encyclopedia
Wroxall Abbey is today a substantial Victorian
mansion
house situated at Wroxall, Warwickshire
which has been converted for use as an hotel, spa, wedding venue and conference centre. It is a Grade II listed building.
The estate was occupied for some 400 years by the Benedictine
Priory
of Wroxall until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
by Henry VIII
in 1536.
In 1544 the King granted the estate to Robert Burgoyne of Sutton, Bedfordshire
(d 1545) who had been one of the King's Commissioners for the Dissolution. His son Robert (d 1613), High Sheriff of Warwickshire
in 1597, built a manor house
in Elizabethan
style adjacent to the Priory ruins.
The Burgoyne family ( later Burgoyne Baronets
) occupied the manor until 1713 when they sold it together with 1850 acres (7.5 km²), to Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren used the house as his country retreat, and it was occupied from time to time by members of his family, including his great-great-grandson Christopher Roberts Wren, High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1820. Later descendants sold the estate in 1861 to James Dugdale, High Sheriff of Warwickshire 1868, who demolished the old manor house and replaced it with an imposing mansion, thereafter to be known as Wroxall Abbey, in the Victorian Gothic style.
The cathedral adjacent to the Hall and known as Wren's Cathedral is Grade I listed building and is in use for regular services and weddings. The nearby ruins of the 12th century abbey are Grade II* listed.
The house was let and was occupied as a girl's school from 1936 to 1995. In 1995 the estate was purchased by the Quinn family, who leased it to a commercial company in 2001. The present lessees have converted the estate into a hotel.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
house situated at Wroxall, Warwickshire
Wroxall, Warwickshire
Wroxall is a small village in the civil parish of Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is from Kenilworth, and from Coventry on the A4141 road. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 94. It has its own cemetery to the north of the...
which has been converted for use as an hotel, spa, wedding venue and conference centre. It is a Grade II listed building.
The estate was occupied for some 400 years by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Wroxall until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1536.
In 1544 the King granted the estate to Robert Burgoyne of Sutton, Bedfordshire
Sutton, Bedfordshire
Sutton, Bedfordshire, is a small village and civil parish located to the south of Potton, England. Sutton falls under the postal town of Sandy and is also near the market town of Biggleswade.- History :...
(d 1545) who had been one of the King's Commissioners for the Dissolution. His son Robert (d 1613), High Sheriff of Warwickshire
High Sheriff of Warwickshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1597, built a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in Elizabethan
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
style adjacent to the Priory ruins.
The Burgoyne family ( later Burgoyne Baronets
Burgoyne Baronets
There have been two creations of Baronetcies for members of the Burgoyne family.The Baronetcy of Burgoyne of Sutton was created in the Baronetage of England on 15 July 1641 for John Burgoyne of Sutton, Bedfordshire....
) occupied the manor until 1713 when they sold it together with 1850 acres (7.5 km²), to Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren used the house as his country retreat, and it was occupied from time to time by members of his family, including his great-great-grandson Christopher Roberts Wren, High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1820. Later descendants sold the estate in 1861 to James Dugdale, High Sheriff of Warwickshire 1868, who demolished the old manor house and replaced it with an imposing mansion, thereafter to be known as Wroxall Abbey, in the Victorian Gothic style.
The cathedral adjacent to the Hall and known as Wren's Cathedral is Grade I listed building and is in use for regular services and weddings. The nearby ruins of the 12th century abbey are Grade II* listed.
The house was let and was occupied as a girl's school from 1936 to 1995. In 1995 the estate was purchased by the Quinn family, who leased it to a commercial company in 2001. The present lessees have converted the estate into a hotel.