Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
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Rufford began as a Cistercian abbey in 1146, and its west cloister range — dating to around 1170 — is reckoned the best-preserved of its kind in England. Later owners built a Jacobean mansion into the ruins, and the whole lot now sits in a 150-acre country park a couple of miles south of Ollerton, with a lake, formal gardens and woodland walks. The abbey remains are looked after by English Heritage; the park around them is free to wander.
More at the National Heritage List entry
