Delapre Abbey

About this place

Delapré Abbey began life around 1145 as a Cluniac nunnery beside the River Nene, just south of Northampton.

The building visitors see today is a neo-classical mansion built around the remains of that monastery, set within gardens on the edge of the town.

Its parkland was the site of the Battle of Northampton in 1460, a decisive clash in the Wars of the Roses, and the battlefield is now officially registered.

The house is open to the public alongside a café, gardens and a 19th-century stable yard.

History

The abbey was founded around 1145 as a house of nuns affiliated to the great Cluniac abbey in Burgundy, and it stood on land near the Nene for nearly four centuries as a religious community. After the dissolution of the monasteries it passed into private ownership and was gradually rebuilt as a country house, eventually taking the neo-classical form seen today. The property came into public stewardship in the mid-20th century and is now managed in partnership with the Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust.

Architecture

The mansion is built in the neo-classical style but incorporates fabric from the medieval monastery beneath its later remodelling, and it holds Grade II* listed status.

Worth knowing

The abbey's grounds saw the Battle of Northampton in 1460, one of the turning points of the Wars of the Roses, and the site is a registered battlefield.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds include a walled garden and parkland, with an Orangery café now operating alongside the historic gardens.

Facilities