Buckland Abbey

Taken in 1949 of Buckland Abbey on the west side of Dartmoor. Cistercian monks first settled in this valley at the edge of Dartmoor. In 1541 with the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII sold the monastery to Sir Richard Grenville. Sir Richard's grandson, inherited the abbey, and finished building the house. He used the abbey church to shape his home around and this resulted in an unusual arrangement of modest proportions that provided a compact and comfortable home, as opposed to a grand and stylish manor house. Grenville remained there only four years and sold the property to Sir Francis Drake when he returned from his successful circumnavigation of the globe. Between his numerous sea voyages, Drake remained at Buckland Abbey for 14 years. Buckland Abbey was the Drake ancestral home until the early 1940s, when it was presented to the National Trust, following serious fire damage.