Malmesbury Abbey Welcome to Malmesbury
MANY years ago, Malmesbury's famous abbey, must have rivalled many cathedrals in size and magnificence. The present building dates from the middle of the 12th century.
Even now, although a fragment of its former size, what has been preserved constitutes one of the most noble and impressive remains of Norman Ecclesiastical architecture in England.
 A
large restoration was carried out in the middle years of the 14th century,
when a mighty tower was added to the original lantern, standing some 445 feet
high. The tower's fall in the last years of the 15th century resulted in the
destruction of much of the eastern end of the church.
Some of the buildings outstanding features include the magnificent 12th century south porch, which relates Bible stories in stone carving and the fine late Norman carvings of the apostles in the inner porch.
There is also a fine effigy, made in the 14th century, which records that King Athelstan was buried here. Athelstan was grandson of Alfred the Great and the first King of all England.
The Pupitum, at the east end, was given to the abbey in the first years of the 16th century by Henry VII and is finely carved with Tudor symbols.
The lofty pillars and triforium are of the Romanesque period, about 1150, and the clerestory and vault date from the 14th century.
In the room above the porch, the Parvise, there is a fascinating exhibition of historic relics, including a silver penny minted in Malmesbury during the reign of Edward the Confessor.
To the north of the Abbey Church are the Cloister Gardens formed in 1979 to celebrate 1100 years of the town's charter.
The gardens occupy the site of the old cloister where the monks could read or walk. They regained access to the church through two doorways which, at either end, can still be clearly seen.
For more information, go to www.malmesburyabbey.com
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