Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey is a country park on a historic site in Nottinghamshire, in Sherwood Forest and on the edge of the area known as the Dukeries.
The original abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1148, and colonised from Rievaulx in Yorkshire. It was largely demolished at the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the 16th century, but impressive remains of the church remain, including a vaulted 13th century undercroft.
The Elizabethan and Jocobean house on the site was built of red sandstone.
Close to the abbey remains, the former stables and outhouses have been converted into a complex containing art gallery, craft centre, restaurant etc.
Nearby is the Sherwood Forest Country Park, and Edwinstowe, said to be the scene of Robin Hood’s marriage to Maid Marian.