Heritage > Historic Houses

Beaulieu

Building of the Abbey

Beaulieu Abbey was built by lay brothers and hired craftsmen to a uniform plan, based on the parent abbey at Citeaux. Its construction took many years and temporary buildings were erected to provide the monks with shelter until their communal rooms were completed. The Great Gatehouse, or Abbey entrance, was not finished until the 14th century, some one hundred years after the complex was begun and many of the monks who came to live at the Abbey during construction never lived to see the finished building.

All the materials for the new building, with the is exception of timber, had to be brought to the site from other areas. Three different types of stone were used: Binstead on the Isle of Wight provided a durable stone for external work, from Caen in Normandy came a softer stone for the interiors, and Purbeck in Dorset supplied stone for the columns. Sand and chalk also came from Binstead, lime from the Hampshire Downs, and slate and ridge tiles for roofing from the West Co untry. Overland travel was slow and expensive, so the monks made use of the Beaulieu River to transport their building materials.

The Abbey was constructed in stages, with exterior building work not normally undertaken between Michaelmas (29th Septem ber) and Candlemas (2nd February). Under the supervision of the Master Mason, for some of the time a Frenchman called Durand whose credits include Rouen Cathedral, the Abbey slowly began to take shape He was aided by the senior carpenter and plumber, who worked in both lead and glass. The stone arrived having been shaped by mallet and chisel in the quarries, bearing the carved initials or mark of the mason who was paid for each stone cut.

The walls were kept straight by using a plumb level, square co rners marked out with a set square and circles and curves made with compasses. As the buildings rose wooden scaffolding held with ropes was constructed, together with a hoist to raise the stone and mortar. The arches were built with the aid of wooden supp ort frames; when the mortar had set the frame was removed. Roofs were also constructed with the aid of a wooden frame. Made at ground level, roof sections were hoisted to the roof, placed in position and covered with lead or slate. Once the roof was posit ioned, the joiners and plasterers could finish the work from the inside whatever the weather.

Elaborate decoration was not permitted but the monks at Beaulieu made their own decorative tiles for both floors and walls from the good quality clay found in the area. The patterns were usually geometric, and examples of both inlaid and mosaic tiles have been found.

The `Annals of Waverley' record monks at Beaulieu 'entering their church with joy' in 1226. This was probably only the part containing t he altar, as the Abbey church, always the first part of the Abbey Precinct to be built, was not finally completed until 1246, some 42 years after it was begun.

On the 17th June 1246, Jo hn's son, King Henry III, his wife Eleanor, his heir, the future Edward I and his brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, were all present at the Abbey's dedication ceremony.

After the ceremony Edward was taken ill and with his mother had to stay for sev eral weeks in the Abbey. However, the rules stated that women were not allowed to stay within the Precinct, and the prior and cellarer were dismissed from office for allowing the rule to be broken.

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