The history of Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse

The ruins of Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse, Cambridgeshire | © National Trust Images/Mike Selby

Once an island in the Fens, this charming former gatehouse is the remainder of the oldest English and once great Benedictine abbey at Ramsey. An ornately carved exterior with a glorious oriel window is all that survives from its centuries of history.

The gatehouse was dismantled and then re-erected at the entrance to Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdon by the Cromwell family. The remaining lodge to the gatehouse dates back to circa 1475.

The stone figure on display is considered to be a depiction of Ailwyn and was drawn in 1719 by Dr. Stukeley. When shown in 1987 at the ‘Age of Chivalry’ exhibition in London it was thought ‘that the attribution is probably not authentic’.

The identification of the Lady Chapel was predicated upon by the presence of a Norman wall, which has now been found to be a double wall from the 19th century.

Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse was donated to the National Trust in 1952 in memory of Diana Broughton, the daughter of Lord de Ramsey. Today, an ornately carved exterior with a glorious oriel window is all that survives of the gatehouse.