Furness Abbey

The impressive remains of an abbey founded by Stephen, later King of England, including much of the east end and west tower of the church, the ornately decorated chapter house and the cloister buildings.

English Heritage is carrying out emergency conservation work to stop the ruined Abbey church sinking into the soft ground. This follows earlier routine inspections which revealed serious cracks in the walls. Medieval masons used large pieces of oak in the foundations and after 500 years, this timber is now gradually giving way.

Recently, while excavating the grave of a prosperous medieval abbot, a hoard of medieval treasures was discovered at Furness Abbey. Curators have hailed the discovery of the first crozier (a staff with a crook on top) to be excavated in Britain in over 50 years and an impressive gemstone ring has also been uncovered. Channel 4 news have also reported on the story.