Cistercian abbey turned Drake's Elizabethan home.
Open to visitorsa National Trust place — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Buckland began as a Cistercian abbey in 1278, then Sir Richard Grenville turned the church itself into a house — an unusual conversion you can still read in the walls. Sir Francis Drake bought it around 1581 and lived here between voyages. Beside the house stand a huge medieval Great Barn and gardens, and the collection includes a Rembrandt self-portrait. National Trust; paid entry. Bere Alston station is about 5km west.
Visit on the National Trust website →
More at the National Heritage List entry
