Beaulieu Abbey ( ) was a Cistercian abbey in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203–1204 by King John and (uniquely in Britain) populated by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order. The Medieval Latin name of the monastery was Bellus Locus Regis ("The beautiful place of the king"') or monasterium Belli loci Regis. Other spellings of the English name which occur historically are Bewley (16th century) and Beaulie (17th century).

History

Foundation

The first Abbot of Beaulieu was Hugh,]]

The abbey's buildings were of a scale and magnificence reflecting its status as an important royal foundation. The church was long and had a semi-circular apse with 11 radiating chapels. The building took more than four decades to complete and was finally dedicated in 1246, The abbey was surrounded by workshops, farm buildings, guesthouses, a mill, and extensive gardens and fishponds. Strongly fortified gatehouses controlled entry to the monastic enclosure, which was defended by a wall. A water gate allowed access to ships in the river. He died in 1550. depicting scenes from medieval monastic life and the history of the abbey since 1204. Beyond the central claustral buildings, foundations remain of the infirmary. The abbey stood within two walled courtyards, of which much of the precinct walls still stand. The smaller outer gatehouse is still used as such, while the inner gatehouse has been greatly altered for use as Beaulieu Palace House. Although the passage has been blocked up at each end, the tierceron vaulting remains inside. Beaulieu remains in the hands of the descendants of Wriothesley, who still live there.

The Abbey is open to the public as part of the visitor attraction known as "Beaulieu", which includes:

  • Beaulieu Abbey
  • National Motor Museum
  • Beaulieu Palace House
  • Secret Army Exhibition – an exhibit about the Special Operations Executive training at Beaulieu during World War II
  • Gardens
  • A monorail
  • Rides

The Domus is regularly used for events, dining and corporate hospitality. The legend was repeated in a later work by the topographer Thomas Cox. Modern re-tellings of the king's "babbling dream" state that he dreamed of being scourged with rods and thongs by the abbots he had commanded be trampled and he awoke to find his body still ached from the blows in his dream. The king is said to have taken great interest in the construction of the abbey and even to have expressed a desire to be entombed beneath the high altar.

Reported hauntings

Beaulieu, according to the official website, is one of the most haunted places in Britain, with reported sightings going back over a hundred years.

The sound of Gregorian chant, considered an omen by local tradition, have been reported by Mrs Elizabeth Varley, daughter of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, and Michael C. Sedgwick, former curator of the National Motor Museum, amongst others.

Among the many reported sightings of monks (allegedly white and brown clad) in the abbey ruins and in the parish church,

The eccentric Reverend Robert Frazer Powles, Vicar of Beaulieu (1886–1939), claimed to have gone so far as to converse with ghostly monks whom he knew by name, and even to have celebrated candlelit midnight mass every Christmas Eve for them.

In culture

thumb|The post-Dissolution mansion at Beaulieu, known as Palace House, was built around the medieval gatehouse of the abbey (the double gabled building in the centre-right of the picture).

Beaulieu Abbey is the setting of the opening chapters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's historical novel The White Company. F. T. Prince's poem "At Beaulieu"', from his 1963 collection, The Doors of Stone, describes the double heart-coffin on display in the Abbey. Prince, who was Professor of English at the University of Southampton from 1957 to 1974, probably visited the site sometime in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Sir John Betjeman's poem "Youth and Age on Beaulieu River" is based on a visit he made to the New Forest. Beaulieu Abbey plays a prominent role in Edward Rutherfurd's novel The Forest.

Burials at the abbey

  • Isabel Marshal
  • Thomas Skevington

See also

  • Great Coxwell Barn
  • Titchfield Abbey
  • Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
  • List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches

Notes

  • Beaulieu - official attraction site including the Abbey
  • In-depth history of the abbey from the Victoria County History
  • Beaulieu at The Heritage Trail
  • Beaulieu on the Sheffield University Cistercian abbeys website
  • Image of Palace House, the Tudor and later mansion built around the former monastic gatehouse. The mediaeval building is on the right
  • Ruins of the chapter house of the abbey

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