Black Abbey

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  • Address
    Abbey St, city centre
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This Dominican abbey on Abbey St was founded in 1225 by William Marshall and takes its name from the monks' black habits. In 1543, six years after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, it was turned into a courthouse. Following Cromwell's visit in 1650, it remained a roofless ruin until restoration in 1866.

Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but pieces of more ancient archways are still evident within the newer stonework. Open for daily mass, look for the 13th-century coffins near the entrance.