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The Long Gallery at Abingdon Abbey

Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.

The abbey was supposedly founded in 675 either by Cissa, viceroy of Centwine, king of the West Saxons, or by his nephew Hean, in honour of the Virgin Mary, for twelve Benedictine monks.

Endowed by successive West Saxon kings, it grew in importance and wealth until its destruction by the Danes in the reign of King Alfred, and the sequestration of its estates by Alfred because the monks had not made him a sufficient requital for vanquishing their enemies. There is a collection of 136 charters granted to this abbey by various Saxon kings.

Amongst its abbots were Saint Aethelwold, afterwards Bishop of Winchester (954), and Richard of Hendred, for whose appointment the King's consent was obtained in 1262. He was present at the Council of Lyon in 1272.

The last Abbot of Abingdon was Thomas Pentecost alias Rowland, who was among the first to acknowledge the Royal Supremacy. With the rest of his community he signed the surrender of his monastery in 1538, receiving the manor of Cumnor for life or until he had preferment to the extent of £223 per annum. The revenues of the Abbey (26 Hen. VIII) were valued at £1876, 10s, 9d.

There is nothing to see today of the abbey church. There are some 'ruinous' arches in the 'Abbey Gardens', but this is really a folly built in the 1920s. Some of its architectural features are dubiously said to have come from the old abbey.

Associated monastic buildings do, however, survive, including the Abbey Exchequer, the timber-framed Long Gallery, the Abbey bakehouse, the Abbey gateway, St John's hospitium (pilgrims' hostel) and the Church of Saint Nicolas.

One of the original fire places was removed and is now still intact in and was moved to Lacies Court.

• Abbots of Abingdon
• Cosener's House, a conference centre in the grounds of the Abbey

• Royal Berkshire History: Abingdon Abbey
• Abingdon Touring Theatre

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.