Anglesey Abbey
by Banchango
Despite its name Anglesey Abbey is not on a North Wales Island but is in Cambridgeshire, England. It is a country house with land which includes 98 acres of landscaped grounds 5½ miles northeast of the City of Cambridge. Both the house and grounds are owned by the National Trust and most of it is open to the public although parts are still occupied by the Fairhaven family after Lord Fairhaven who died in 1966 left the property to the National Trust . The house has some beautiful gardens and the interior has a valuable collection of furniture, pictures and other items. There is a working grain watermill, “Lode Mill” and visitors can see how grain is transformed into flour.
Originally there was a priory known as Anglesey Priory on the site. This became disused in 1935 when King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. At the end of that century the property was acquired as a residence and converted into a country house. At this time the name was changed to
Anglesey Abbey as this sounded grander than Anglesey Priory. Further alterations were made in the 19th Century. Lord Fairhaven acquired the house with his brother in 1926. He fully restored the house and purchased the items now on show in the building. He was also responsible for developing the tremendous gardens which surround the house. They have been described as the grandest English gardens created during the 20th Century
It is all well worth a visit
