Access unclearno public right of way confirmed — check locally before setting out
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Forde Abbey was a Cistercian monastery for four centuries before the Dissolution, and a private house since 1649, right on the Somerset border west of Thorncombe. Around it sit thirty acres of gardens: herbaceous borders along a canal, a bog garden, an arboretum and ponds first dug by the monks. In the Mermaid pond the Roper family raised the Centenary Fountain in 2005, said to be the highest powered fountain in the country. Paid entry; Axminster station is about 10km south-west.
More at the National Heritage List entry
