Waverley Abbey

Stumbled across this lovely cafe and on the grounds was the first Cistercian monastery in Britain. A small group of monks from France settled in this quiet spot by the River Wey in 1128, and Waverley soon became the springboard for Cistercian settlement in southern England.

The abbey was suppressed in 1536 as part of King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. Subsequently, largely demolished, its stone was reused in local buildings, likely including "Waverley Abbey House", which was built in 1723 in the northern portion of the former abbey precinct.

The abbey has this beautiful yew tree, estimated at over 500 years old, it likely grew shortly after the abbey was dissolved in 1536. It is a multi-stemmed, veteran tree with a girth of 6.78m.

Following dissolution the former abbey was granted to Sir William Fitzherbert, who was the treasurer of the king's household. The abbey itself was mostly demolished, with stone reused in local building work including at Loseley Park. Waverley Abbey House was built within the former abbey precinct, just north of the core abbey ruins. It is now a cafe and hotel.

It has some lovely grounds and they have created a little prayer grief garden, designed to help people process pain, loss and grief.
The Remembering Garden is for anyone who has experienced a loss – of a loved one, a job, a relationship.
Based upon a well-researched model of bereavement that identifies 4 ‘tasks’ of grief, the garden’s installations are laid out in 4 areas.