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The Great Britain Guide

Cathedrals · North West England

Calder Abbey

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Calder Abbey is a cathedral in the United Kingdom.

Ruins of Calder Abbey - geograph.org.uk - 1500462

John Lord — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Best time of year
Year-round
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Calder Abbey is a cathedral in england north west, United Kingdom — the principal church of its diocese, dating from 1101. Cathedrals are seats of bishops in the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, and other Christian denominations across Britain.

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From the Wikipedia article

Calder Abbey in Cumbria was a Savigniac monastery founded in 1134 by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester, and moved to this site following a refoundation in 1142. It became Cistercian in 1148. It is near the village of Calderbridge.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Ranulf de Gernon (also known as Ranulph le Meschines) founded the abbey on 10 January 1134, and gave a site and a mill to the monks. It was a wooden building and occupied by twelve Savigniac monks from Furness Abbey under the abbot Gerold. Only four years later, in the midst of the political instability following the death of Henry I, David King of Scots sent Scottish raiders under William Fitz Duncan to raid the northern English counties. Calder Abbey was one of the victims, and the Scots raided they despoiled the Abbey and drove out the monks. This, and the poor endowment, led the monks to abandon the site, and they sought sanctuary at Furness Abbey. However, as Abbot Gerold would not…

Description

The Monk's Bridge, on Cold Fell, built by the monks of Calder, is the oldest packhorse bridge in Cumbria. It spans the River Calder, just upstream of the confluence with Friar Gill. Also known as "Matty Benn's bridge", it is still in use today and is open to the public.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
54.4441, -3.4647
District
Cumberland
Parish
Ponsonby
Postcode
CA20 1DZ
Parliamentary constituency
Whitehaven and Workington
Established
1101

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Calder Abbey?
Calder Abbey is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode CA20 1DZ), in the parish of Ponsonby.
When was Calder Abbey built?
Built or established in 1101.
How do I get to Calder Abbey?
Drivers can navigate to postcode CA20 1DZ. It sits within the Whitehaven and Workington parliamentary constituency.