Romsey Abbey

The first settlement of nuns were sited here over 1,000 years ago during the reign of King Edward the Elder, the son of Alfred the Great. It was Edward's daughter, Elflaeda, who became the first Abbess of Romsey, and ever since it has been been a centre for female worship and education. Refounded in 967 with an order of Benedictine nuns, the Saxon church was probably destroyed less than 30 years on when the Danes invaded. At this time the nuns fled to Winchester, returning some five years later to rebuild their nunnery under the Abbess Ethelflaeda.

Prior to the Norman invasion, Romsey Abbey earned itself a reputation with Kings and noblemen as the best place for educating their daughters. It is believed that Henry I, having become acquainted with Matilda whilst she was at Romsey Abbey, was responsible for the re-building of the abbey church in the first half of the 12th century as a memorial to his queen.

The bold Norman structure seen today dates mainly from the 12th century, although Saxon foundations are visible in the north transept of the church. Two great Saxon treasures that have survived are the carved stone roods depicting the Crucifixion - one is sited in St Anne's chapel, and the other on the outside wall of the south transept adjacent to the elaborately carved Abbess's Doorway.

Along the nave, the massive round pillars with magnificent decorated arches between, reaching three storeys high, are pure Norman simplicity with style. Above the pillars, especially in the choir aisles, are several beautifully carved stone capitals, some decorated with heads, beasts or flowers, and two others in the chancel aisles relating stories about kings and angels. In the chapel of St George there are some medieval floor tiles featuring crusade scenes, which have survived in excellent condition. And in St Mary's chapel a section of restored wall painting, dating from the 12th century, can be seen.

By the beginning of the 15th century things had started to decline. The effects of the Black Death took their toll on the townspeople, and severely depleted the number of nuns working at Romsey Abbey. This was followed by a relaxation of the strict rules, resulting in many women entering the convent as a comfortable retreat, rather than because they had a religious vocation. The final blow came in 1539 when Romsey Abbey was suppressed, and the remaining nuns dispersed. Had it not been for the local people who, in 1544 purchased the building for £100 to use as their parish Church, this fine nunnery may have been lost forever.

Over the next 200 years the church saw many changes. Parts of it were demolished to reduce the parish maintenance costs, and many of the internal fittings were either defaced or destroyed at the time of the Civil War. By the middle of the 18th century the church was in such a neglected state that part of it was used to store the town's fire engines. Fortunately, a Victorian reverend proved to be Romsey Abbey's saviour, and by the early 20th century this grand Norman church had been sympathetically restored to much of its former glory.