Buckfast Abbey gateway

Sketch of the remains of north gate arch drawn in 1835 by James Bynes. Note that the arch is in ruins and covered in ivy. The original monastery at Buckfast was founded in 1018 and became a Cistercian abbey in 1147. Edward 1st walked though the arch in April 1297 on a visit to the Abbey. When the present monks returned to Buckfast in 1882, they were able to uncover almost all of the original foundations dating back to this period, and rebuild the Abbey in the architectural style of the mid-twelfth century - effectively restoring the original Cistercian abbey. The arch of the north gate and part of the barrel-vaulted undercroft by the west cloister are now the only buildings to survive (above ground) from the original 12th century Cistercian abbey